When You Need to Write About COVID-19: A Style Sheet
I create a style sheet for every editing job. It’s where I keep track of my decisions (or make notes on client preference) for spelling and hyphenation and what different abbreviations mean. It saves me from looking up the same point over and over, and when I pass the style sheet on to my client or the next person in the production process, it helps to keep the publication consistent.
I noted a few words and collated some sources that may come in handy if you need to write about COVID-19. Click on the "Download" button in the header to download a copy of the COVID-19 Style Sheet.
COVID-19 Style Sheet
A
Alpha variant, recommended by the WHO for the SARS-CoV-2 variant first isolated in the United Kingdom [for a complete list, see Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (who.int)]
antiseptics, like hand sanitizer, are used to kill germs on living things. Disinfectants, like bleach, are used on inanimate things
B
Beta variant, recommended by the WHO for the SARS-CoV-2 variant first isolated in South Africa [for a complete list, see Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (who.int)]
C
cases, use “known cases” or “confirmed cases” to emphasize the message of personal responsibility (not just “cases”)
CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CFR, case fatality rate (# of deaths/# of confirmed cases)
coronavirus, any of the Coronaviridae family of viruses that are the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19
COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, short for coronavirus disease 2019
E
epidemic, an outbreak of disease in excess of normal expectancy
H
health care (2 words for both AMA and AP style)
I
IFR, infection fatality rate (# of deaths/# of infections with SARS-CoV-2)
M
MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
MERS-CoV, the coronavirus that is the causative agent of MERS
P
pandemic, occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population (the WHO declared the global COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020)
PPE, personal protective equipment
R
R, reproduction number of an infectious disease (the average number of cases who are infected by a single infected individual)
R0, the reproduction number in a population that has not previously encountered a disease
S
SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome
SARS-CoV, the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003
SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic
shelter in place (verb), shelter-in-place (adj)
social distancing
stay at home (verb), stay-at-home (adj)
V
ventilator, Patients are maintained on artificial respiration by means of mechanical ventilators. Avoid the jargon “vent a patient” or “the patient was vented.
W
WHO, World Health Organization
Alpha variant, recommended by the WHO for the SARS-CoV-2 variant first isolated in the United Kingdom [for a complete list, see Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (who.int)]
antiseptics, like hand sanitizer, are used to kill germs on living things. Disinfectants, like bleach, are used on inanimate things
B
Beta variant, recommended by the WHO for the SARS-CoV-2 variant first isolated in South Africa [for a complete list, see Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (who.int)]
C
cases, use “known cases” or “confirmed cases” to emphasize the message of personal responsibility (not just “cases”)
CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CFR, case fatality rate (# of deaths/# of confirmed cases)
coronavirus, any of the Coronaviridae family of viruses that are the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19
COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, short for coronavirus disease 2019
E
epidemic, an outbreak of disease in excess of normal expectancy
H
health care (2 words for both AMA and AP style)
I
IFR, infection fatality rate (# of deaths/# of infections with SARS-CoV-2)
M
MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
MERS-CoV, the coronavirus that is the causative agent of MERS
P
pandemic, occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population (the WHO declared the global COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020)
PPE, personal protective equipment
R
R, reproduction number of an infectious disease (the average number of cases who are infected by a single infected individual)
R0, the reproduction number in a population that has not previously encountered a disease
S
SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome
SARS-CoV, the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003
SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic
shelter in place (verb), shelter-in-place (adj)
social distancing
stay at home (verb), stay-at-home (adj)
V
ventilator, Patients are maintained on artificial respiration by means of mechanical ventilators. Avoid the jargon “vent a patient” or “the patient was vented.
W
WHO, World Health Organization
Sources
AMA Manual of Style. Novel Coronavirus - March 2020 update.
AP Stylebook. Coronavirus Topical Guide.
Chicago Manual. Styling COVID-19 and Related Terms.
Healthline. What is R0? Gauging Contagious Infections.
Merriam-Webster. Coronavirus and the New Words We Added to the Dictionary in March 2020.
Oxford English Dictionary. July 2020 update: scientific terminology of Covid-19.
Suzanne Wertheim. Three Linguistic Tips for Talking About COVID-19.
Word of Mouth [podcast]. The Language of the Pandemic.
World Health Organization. Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it.
World Health Organization. Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (who.int)
World Health Organization. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020.
Last updated 6/4/21