Covid-19 is a stupid name for SARS-2

[MrsKypp]

Covid-19 sounds like a boy band or something, not a serious disease.

SARS terrified people. This is SARS 2 and should have been called that instead.

Names matter. It influences how seriously people take it.

The virus is named SARS-CoV-2. The disease it causes, Covid19. The media have generally used Covid19. I would think the numbers of people suffering and dying would ensure it's taken seriously.

Do you really think it will help all of us struggling with this at home to be more terrified though? Trust me, we're already pretty scared.

I still call it coronavirus

Who was terrified of SARS? I'm in England and old enough to have remembered it but tbh I'd totally forgotten about it until this all happened.

I can see it might have been frightening in other countries but was it really in anyone's radar in the UK?

Maybe I somehow missed it. I don't think the name matters, the number of people dying gets the message out.

It stands for Corona Virus Disease and the 19 is the year when the first case was detected.

The name wasn’t decided on by a focus group!

SARS didn't terrify people in the UK. If it had, the government might had been prepared for this one.

SARS2 wouldn’t be a good idea, surely, as it would encourage people to behave as they did when SARS (1?) was around, ie normally.

SARS caused 774 deaths worldwide and that was without a lockdown or vaccine.

I think the name Covid 2 has been around long enough not to be associated with a boy band.

And, no, Sars didn't terrify me. Neither does Covid, Corona, Sars 2, Covid 2, Covid 19 and all the other variations.

Actually it does sound like a serious disease because ieveryone knows it is a serious disease, no one hears “Covid 19” and thinks to themselves, I wonder what that is? Is it a boy band I haven't heard of?

OP.

That made me laugh.

Who the hell thinks covid 19 is a boy band?! If they are that thick then to be honest I don’t think changing a name is going to make any difference to how they behave!

Of all things, the name isn’t the problem.

SARS didn't terrify anyone. People were making "SARS In Their Eyes" jokes etc. Plus it is widely (though incorrectly) seen as an example as a panic over nothing, so calling covid SARS-2 would have made people not take it seriously.
The virus is called SARS-CoV2

I’m pretty sure those that aren’t taking it seriously aren’t doing so because they don’t think the name is scary enough

SARS 2

That just sounds like a film sequel. 'It came from the East...'
Covid-19 is quite a sensible name, as Family says, it's just a shortening.

There were 4 confirmed cases of SARS in Uk how the hell is that terrifying compared to nearly 90,000 confirmed cases and nearly 9000 deaths from COVID19

Give your head a shake!

Where are you getting your numbers from, @Willow2017? Those are way out of date.

Well it made me laugh op.

I find the name a bit macabre tbh
reminds me of 'corvid', you know, the black spooky birds.

You could rename Ebola fluffykins and it would still be an utterly terrifying disease. Covid 19 is a suitable name, I don’t think calling it SARS 2 would make any difference to people’s response to it.

Seems like a sensible name to me.

This is a weird thread!

Off to listen to a boyband now... Before I watch some more Sars in their eyes