The Hindu Editorial (A new peak) – Feb 24, 2021

After a peak of nearly 98,000 fresh daily COVID-19 cases on September 16, 2020, the number of new cases reported per day in India has seen a slow but steady decline to reach below 12,000 in mid-February. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (A new peak) – Feb 24, 2021.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (A new peak) – Feb 24, 2021:

spike (noun) – a sharp rise/increase of something.
coronavirus (CoV) (noun) – 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, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. (Courtesy: WHO)
speed up (phrasal verb) – accelerate, step up, expedite.
vaccination (noun) – treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.
trajectory (noun) – track/course, route, path, direction, approach.
reverse (verb) – alter, change.
in fact (phrase) – actually, in actuality, really, in reality, as a matter of fact.
stand out (phrasal verb) – be noticeable, be visible, be obvious.
drop (noun) – decrease, reduction, decline, downturn.
pandemic (noun) – 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.
absolute (adjective) – total, complete, full; definite.
in terms of (phrase) – with regard to, with reference to, regarding, concerning,
mark (verb) – indicate, represent, signify, signalize.
absent (adjective) – missing, lacking, non-existent.
not so good (phrase) – not good enough, all wrong, quite bad.
adherence (noun) – compliance, observance, conformity.
serosurvey (noun) – collection and testing of serum (or proxy such as oral fluid) specimens from a sample of a
defined population over a specified period of time to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against a given
specific infectious pathogen as an indicator of immunity.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (noun) – the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. As early as in 1911, the Government of India set up the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) with the specific objective of sponsoring and coordinating medical research in the country. It was redesignated in 1949 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
expose (verb) – be subjected to something (infectious agents & others).
vulnerable (adjective) – ill-protected, easily affected by, prone to, at risk of; relating to a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support/protection.
demystify (verb) – explain, clarify, elucidate, illuminate, make clear.
phenomenon (noun) – occurrence, happening, situation, circumstance.
lack of (noun) – absence, deficiency, scarcity, dearth.
integrity (noun) – fairness, uprightness, probity.
due to (phrase) – because of, owing to, on account of.
naive (adjective) – not previously exposed to, unaffected, inexperienced.
possibility (noun) – chance, probability.
variant (noun) – different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).
highlight (verb) – underline, underscore, emphasize, call attention to.
undertake (verb) – begin, start; engage in, become involved in, take part in.
sequence (noun) – the complete order of compounds/building blocks (nucleotides) of nucleic acids, such as RNA or DNA.
novel coronavirus (nCoV) (SARS-CoV-2) (noun) – a new strain (type/variety) coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. (Courtesy: WHO)
genome (noun) – the genetic material (a complete set of DNA, including all of its genes) of an organism. The sum total of the genetic material of a cell or an organism.
genome sequence (noun) – a process that determines the order, or sequence, of the DNA (nucleotides i.e., A, C, G and U) in each of the genes present in the virus’s genome.
trace (verb) – track down, detect, find (the source of).
track (verb) – note the progress of something.
nowhere near (phrase) – not at all near to.
room (noun) – scope, opportunity, chance (for something to happen).
complacency (noun) – carelessness, laziness, laxity, self-satisfaction, smugness, self-regard.