Hindi English Translation || Editorial || A dose of realism: On COVID-19 surge post Omicron

A dose of realism: On COVID-19 surge post Omicron

Disease prevention with COVID-appropriate behaviour and vaccination (टीकाकरण, प्रतिरक्षा) is still necessary

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, in a recent briefing (बैठक, विवरण, सम्मेलन), noted that 90 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the Omicron variant (प्रकार, रूपांतर) was first identified 10 weeks ago. His statement comes in the context (संदर्भ, परिस्थितियाँ) of many countries easing their restrictive (प्रतिबंधक, सीमित करना, निषेधात्मक) movement measures (उपाय, क्रिया, कदम) amid (के बीच, घिरा हुआ, दौरान) public fatigue (थकावट). From WHO’s perspective (दृष्टिकोण, परिप्रेक्ष्य), the blanket lifting (हटाना, रद्द करना) of restrictions poses (constitute, present, create, cause (a challenge or problem or danger or risk)) a problem as most people appear (seem, look) to believe that Omicron is less threatening compared to previous variants and that two shots (injection, inoculation (of a vaccine/drug)) of vaccines (a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease) are an adequate defence (रक्षा, सुरक्षा) against the virus. He underlined (रेखांकित करना, जोर देना) that a narrative (a representation of a particular situation; portrayal/account) that “preventing transmission is no longer (not anymore) possible and no longer necessary” had taken hold (begin to have an effect) and this was problematic. This was false, he underscored (underline, emphasize, highlight) at the briefing, as the virus continues to evolve (develop, progress, advance gradually) and four of the six WHO regions globally are reporting an increasing trend in deaths.

Britain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Finland are on the path of easing COVID-19 restrictions. In India too, with current evidence pointing to (indicate, suggest, denote) a fall (decrease, decline, reduction) in the daily caseload (the number of cases to be handled by a doctor at one time), several States have moved to ease (कम करना, हल्का करना, मध्यम करना) movement restrictions. WHO has also said that the newly emerged variant, BA.2, is as transmissible (spreading, infectious, contagious, communicable) as Omicron and that all measures needed to contain (control, restrain, limit) the original Omicron variant (On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the (new coronavirus) variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). The first known confirmed Omicron infection was from a specimen collected on November 9. In recent weeks, infections in South Africa have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection) are applicable to it too. After facing criticism that it did not move soon enough in 2020 to alert the world of the magnitude of the calamity (disaster, catastrophe, crisis, tragedy) that it awaited (wait for, expect, anticipate), WHO, which takes a global view of the crisis, cannot be faulted (criticize, find fault with) for airing concerns (anxiety, worry, disquiet, apprehension) from the evidence available so far (until now, up to the present, up to this point). It has also consistently warned that the pandemic cannot be over until all regions of the world are sufficiently vaccinated (inoculate, administer, introduce (with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease)) and that economic inequity (unfairness, unjustness, one-sidedness, partisanship, bias, prejudice, discrimination) continues to be a driver ((motivating/deciding) force/factor) of the pandemic. The coronavirus, while secular in its infectiousness (the state/condition of being infectious; the ability of a disease to be transmitted easily from one person to another, especially through air), affects nations differently. The richer ones can afford to bear (manage, tolerate, stand, put up with) the consequences (result, outcome, ramification, repercussion) of disrupted social activity a little longer than the rest. Just about half the world has been fully vaccinated ((of people) administered with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease); unfortunately, so far, the available vaccines are only equipped to protect against disease rather than (instead of) infection. WHO must use its influence (authority, sway, leverage, weight) to continue to encourage vaccination and step in (become involved, get involved) with advice and expertise (knowledge) to help countries access necessary doses (ख़ुराक, मात्रा) and bear upon governments to do more to meet vaccination targets. Framing the pandemic as a war that humanity (human beings, humankind, the human race) must ‘win’ was useful to accelerate (increase, rise, escalate) the development of vaccines. However, science is not equipped yet to predict the future trajectory (track/course, route, path, direction, approach) of the coronavirus; COVID-appropriate behaviour, vaccines and accessible health care remain the only credible (acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable) defences.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.dose (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ख़ुराक, मात्रा
English Meaning - an amount/quantity of something, especially a medicine/drug prescribed to be taken at a specific time.

2.realism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - यथार्थवाद, व्यावहारिकता
English Meaning - pragmatism, practicality, matter-of-factness.

3.variant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकार, रूपांतर
English Meaning - different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).

4.vaccination (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टीकाकरण, प्रतिरक्षा
English Meaning - treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.

5.briefing (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बैठक, विवरण, सम्मेलन
English Meaning - press conference, conference, meeting.

6.context (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संदर्भ, परिस्थितियाँ
English Meaning - circumstances, conditions, situation.

7.ease (verb)

Hindi Meaning - कम करना, हल्का करना, मध्यम करना
English Meaning - reduce, moderate, lessen, decrease.

8.restrictive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिबंधक, सीमित करना, निषेधात्मक
English Meaning - restricting, constraining, confining, prohibitive.

9.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय, क्रिया, कदम
English Meaning - action, step, procedure.

10.amid (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - के बीच, घिरा हुआ, दौरान
English Meaning - in the middle of, surrounded by; during.

11.fatigue (noun)

Hindi Meaning - थकावट
English Meaning - tiredness, weariness, exhaustion.

12.perspective (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दृष्टिकोण, परिप्रेक्ष्य
English Meaning - outlook, viewpoint, approach.

13.lifting (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हटाना, रद्द करना
English Meaning - removal, cancellation.

14.defence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रक्षा, सुरक्षा
English Meaning - protection.

15.underline (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना, जोर देना
English Meaning - emphasize, underscore, highlight.

16.surge (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase or rise of something.

17.Omicron variant (noun)

English Meaning - On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the (new coronavirus) variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). The first known confirmed Omicron infection was from a specimen collected on November 9. In recent weeks, infections in South Africa have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection.

18.coronavirus (CoV) (noun)

English Meaning - a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. (Courtesy: WHO)

19.public (pandemic) fatigue (noun)

English Meaning - it can occur when people get tired of the pandemic measures.

20.blanket (adjective)

English Meaning - total, complete, overall, general.

21.pose (verb)

English Meaning - constitute, present, create, cause (a challenge or problem or danger or risk).

22.appear (verb)

English Meaning - seem, look.

23.shot (noun)

English Meaning - injection, inoculation (of a vaccine/drug).

24.vaccine (noun)

English Meaning - a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

25.narrative (noun)

English Meaning - a representation of a particular situation; portrayal/account.

26.no longer (phrase)

English Meaning - not anymore.

27.take hold (phrase)

English Meaning - begin to have an effect.

28.underscore (verb)

English Meaning - underline, emphasize, highlight.

29.evolve (verb)

English Meaning - develop, progress, advance gradually.

30.point to (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, suggest, denote.

31.fall (noun)

English Meaning - decrease, decline, reduction.

32.caseload (noun)

English Meaning - the number of cases to be handled by a doctor at one time.

33.BA.2 variant (noun)

English Meaning - a sub-lineage of Omicron variant.

34.transmissible (adjective)

English Meaning - spreading, infectious, contagious, communicable.

35.contain (verb)

English Meaning - control, restrain, limit.

36.magnitude (noun)

English Meaning - the great extent/intensity of something size, extent, measure.

37.calamity (noun)

English Meaning - disaster, catastrophe, crisis, tragedy.

38.await (verb)

English Meaning - wait for, expect, anticipate.

39.fault (verb)

English Meaning - criticize, find fault with.

40.air (verb)

English Meaning - express, voice, make public.

41.concern (noun)

English Meaning - anxiety, worry, disquiet, apprehension.

42.so far (phrase)

English Meaning - until now, up to the present, up to this point.

43.consistently (adverb)

English Meaning - always, each time, invariably.

44.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

45.vaccinate (verb)

English Meaning - inoculate, administer, introduce (with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease).

46.vaccinated (adjective)

English Meaning - (of people) administered with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease.

47.inequity (noun)

English Meaning - unfairness, unjustness, one-sidedness, partisanship, bias, prejudice, discrimination.

48.driver (noun)

English Meaning - (motivating/deciding) force/factor.

49.secular (adjective)

English Meaning - happening over an indefinitely long period. (once in every century).

50.infectiousness (noun)

English Meaning - the state/condition of being infectious; the ability of a disease to be transmitted easily from one person to another, especially through air.

51.bear (verb)

English Meaning - manage, tolerate, stand, put up with.

52.consequence (noun)

English Meaning - result, outcome, ramification, repercussion.

53.equip (verb)

English Meaning - prepare, qualify; provide, furnish.

54.rather than (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of.

55.influence (noun)

English Meaning - authority, sway, leverage, weight.

56.step in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - become involved, get involved.

57.expertise (noun)

English Meaning - knowledge.

58.bear on/upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - be relevant to, have a bearing on, have relevance to, be pertinent to, have reference to, be concerned with, have to do with, be connected with.

59.humanity (noun)

English Meaning - human beings, humankind, the human race.

60.accelerate (verb)

English Meaning - increase, rise, escalate.

61.trajectory (noun)

English Meaning - track/course, route, path, direction, approach.

62.credible (adjective)

English Meaning - acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable.