![]() Marietta VazquezĭO: Talk about “people who have COVID-19,” “people who are being treated for COVID-19,” “people who are recovering from COVID-19,” or “people who died after contracting COVID19.”ĭO NOT: Refer to people with the disease as “COVID-19 cases” or “victims.”ĭO: Talk about people “acquiring” or “contracting” COVID-19.ĭO NOT: Talk about people “transmitting COVID-19,” “infecting others,” or “spreading the virus” as it implies intentional transmission and assigns blame. We can better prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect those who may have it when we speak about it with accuracy, empathy, and care - something we should all be committed to. What someone looks has no bearing on how likely they are to be sick from COVID-19.ĭO: Talk about the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19)ĭO NOT: Attach locations or ethnicity to the disease this is not a “Wuhan Virus,” “Chinese Virus,” or “Asian Virus.” The official name for the disease was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatization. As medical professionals dedicated to equity and inclusion, we must use our platforms to deliver accurate information to help educate our patients and communities. In mid-February, the Asian American Journalists Association called on the media to be mindful and accurate in their reporting on COVID-19. The CDC has noted that health care workers and people who’ve recently traveled to areas where COVID-19 is circulating are facing increased discrimination and stigma, too. This type of discrimination may also put their mental health at risk. When faced with this type of constant, heightened discrimination our friends, neighbors and colleagues of Asian-decent can feel uncomfortable in places they should feel welcome, included, and safe. This behavior, and the stigma associated with referring to an illness in a way that deliberately creates unconscious (or conscious) bias, can keep people from getting care they may desperately need to get better and prevent others from getting sick. Public transit riders have encountered hostile interactions and people simply walking down the street have experienced microaggressions - which I prefer to call veiled aggressions, because there is nothing “micro” about them for the person on the receiving end. ![]() In the weeks since COVID-19 has been circulating, Asian-Americans and Asians around the world have noted a spike in discrimination and xenophobic attacks. While there is understandable unease flowing through Americans and people around the globe about the increasing spread of COVID-19, it’s important to remember that words matter and the language we use has power.Īs vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion for pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, I feel compelled to speak out. Most posts were written with dismay from people who couldn’t believe some government officials were influencing others to refer to COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus) this way. This week, my colleagues logged on to Twitter to see “#ChinaVirus” and “#WuhanVirus” trending in the United States.
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