Your COVID-19 Glossary | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Here’s a record of health conditions to assist you navigate the most up-to-date COVID-19 research and updates.

Efficacy: How well something, like a vaccine or cure, performs in a medical trial.

Variant: A virus that has altered from its first version. A variant commonly has a “error” in an amino acid, which is also known as a mutation.

Antibody: A protein our immune devices make to combat off germs. Antibodies can continue to be in our bodies and secure us from foreseeable future an infection.

Underlying condition: A condition that another person by now has, like diabetic issues or bronchial asthma, that puts them at better danger for difficulties from a virus or an infection.

Therapeutic agent: A remedy or cure for a healthcare condition. A therapeutic agent can assist you sense improved (remedy), combat off a ailment (cure), or do the two (remedy and cure).

Fundamental research: Science that helps us fully grasp dwelling devices and life processes improved. This understanding prospects to improved ways to predict, protect against, diagnose, and handle ailment. Fundamental research was critical to COVID-19 vaccine growth.