The Hindu Editorial (The cusp) – Aug 03, 2021

August has begun on a disconcerting note in India’s coronavirus story. The seven-day weekly average of cases hovers around the psychologically important 40,000 mark and there is an uptick… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (The cusp) – Aug 03, 2021.

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The Hindu Editorial (The cusp) – Aug 03, 2021:

cusp (noun) – a point where something will change from one state to another.
disconcerting (adjective) – discomfiting, unsettling, disturbing, troubling.
note (noun) – records, report, account.
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)
press ahead/on (verb) – continue, proceed (in one’s activity/effort).
vaccination (noun) – treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.
hover around (verb) – remain at a level.
uptick (noun) – a small increase or upward trend.
concern (noun) – worry, anxiety, apprehension; issue.
assume (verb) – begin to have, come to have, adapt (a particular quality/appearance).
proportion (noun) – portion, share, quantity; ratio, distribution.
trajectory (noun) – way, track/course, route, direction, approach.
admirable (adjective) – commendable, praiseworthy, laudable, exceptional, notable.
track record (noun) – previous performance, previous accomplishments, previous achievements.
under siege (phrase) – going through a siege; very seriously attacked/criticized.
vulnerable (adjective) – endangered, unsafe, unprotected, unguarded ill-protected; easily affected by, prone to, at risk of.
variant (noun) – different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).
concomitant (adjective) – associated, related, connected, linked.
prompt (verb) – cause, impel, urge.
positivity rate (noun) – the proportion of positives to total tests done for disease; the percentage of tests that are turning out to be positive for disease; the rate at which people getting tested for disease receive positive results.
ought to (modal verb) – must, should.
curtail (verb) – decrease, lessen, reduce, restrict, limit.
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.
descend into (phrasal verb) – (of a situation) fall, slide, degenerate, deteriorate, decline.
runaway (adjective/noun as modifier) – out of control, uncontrolled, unchecked.
climb (noun) – increase, rise, growth.
unchecked (adjective) – uncontrolled, unconstrained, unrestricted.
flag-waving (noun) – signaling; forewarn, caution.
context (noun) – circumstances, conditions, situation.
serology (noun) – a method of diagnostic examination of blood serum concerning the immune system’s response to pathogens (the pathogen is something, like bacteria/virus, that causes disease). (serum is an amber (yellowish-orange), watery fluid, rich in proteins, obtained from blood…).
serology survey (noun) – A serological survey is conducted to assess the prevalence of a disease in a population. It is done by detecting the presence of specific antibodies that are produced against the virus.
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.
likely (adverb) – probably, in all probability, presumably, doubtlessly.
lack (verb) – be without, be deficient in, not have enough of.
antibody (noun) – it is also called ‘immunoglobulin’; a protective protein produced mainly by plasma (blood) cells in the immune system in response to the presence of antigens (disease causing organisms (bacteria & viruses) and other harmful/toxic foreign substances like insect venom).
on one’s own (phrase) – used to mention that something happens alone; all alone, by oneself, all by oneself, independently, single-handedly.
substantial (adjective) – considerable, significant, large.
vaccinate (verb) – inoculate, administer, introduce (with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease).
mortality (noun) – (in a particular time/for a cause) the rate/number of death.
so far (phrase) – until now, up to the present, up to this point.
administer (verb) – dispense, provide, give, apply (a drug/vaccine).
dose (noun) – an amount/quantity of something.
drive (noun) – campaign, movement, effort, push/thrust.
inoculation (noun) – vaccination, injection, immunization; jab, shot.
accelerated (adjective) – increased, expedited, stepped up, hastened.
campaign (noun) – an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group; drive, effort, push/thrust.
inoculate (verb) – to inject/introduce a vaccine into the body of someone to produce immunity to a particular disease; immunize, vaccinate.
hospitalisation (noun) – the act of taking (or) admitting someone to (or) in hospital for treatment.