It's not a new strain, only a variant. It's not a second wave, but a second surge. They are not non-pharmaceutical interventions, but behavioural, social, economic, environmental interventions etc. But of course this is SA, we're still gonna call them Strain, Wave and NPIs.

Ok, I'll explain my tweet, not my intention to sound condescending.
I'm very happy that the public is getting new information, this is empowering in uncertain times.
But I'm unhappy with the loose ways in which language is being handled, amounts to misinformation.

The virus has made small changes to itself, so that it can survive. Someone called it 'updates' like on your phone. The changes are just small adjustments, like getting new car tyres, hence variation. It did not change the whole operating system, it's still the same 'model'.

If the virus changed to a new model, like going from iPhone 7 to iPhone 8 or 9, then we would be considering a new strain, which would have more serious implications. It would be like dealing with a new virus all over again. We would all be panicking, but thankfully, it's not.

In fact, viruses are continually changing, hence why they are such a nuisance. You'd have heard that new 'versions' are constantly being detected through the monitoring being done. Most of these we don't even hear about them because they don't matter. So why this one and why now?

The first concern about this new development is that the virus changed in three areas, which is unusual. It's rare to see this virus loading three updates at the same time. Second is the amount of the new variant, the viral load, is higher than others. It comes in a bigger dose.

Third is that the new variant is found in most of the people presenting now in the 'second wave'. The fact that it coincides, or correlates, with the 'second wave' raises suspicion that it may account or even be the driver of the 'second wave'. These 3 things make it important.

But, we don't know much further. The fact that the 'second wave' seems to be more aggressive raises suspicion that the variant may be more aggressive, but we don't know. The viral load seems to suggest that it may transmit more easily, but not necessarily more aggressively.

The 'second wave' has also seen a lot more young people infected and presenting with more severe disease than in the 'first wave', which raises another question: is the new variant more efficient in young people? We don't know, and we don't know if it causes more serious disease.

Given the fact that it's only a variant, not a new strain, we can confidently work with the assumption that it transmits and presents the same way, and it can be prevented and treated the same way. Hence there's hope the body will respond the same way, and the vaccines will work.

Why did I make a fuss about the second wave vs. second surge? In the same way it matters when we say variant and not strain, it also matters when we say surge and not wave, but perhaps with less serious implications, hence we kind of letting it go, and using inverted commas.

Technically speaking, a new wave is present when when the first wave ends, usually because the strain is eliminated, and the cases have gone back to baseline. Our cases never got to baseline, so the same strain was still lurking around waiting to surge again, and it is now...

This is why we talk of a resurgence, or another surge. Declaring the change a variant maintains this perspective. If it was a new strain, it would have had its own baseline and therefore a new wave. What we are seeing are the ripples of the same wave, even if it looks new...

Everyone is so used to 'second wave' that it's become futile to try and correct this, so we just say 'second wave' to maintain common understanding. In the greater scheme of things, it doesn't really matter. The problem is we are making this a habit, and we add to misinformation.

I'd also add that psychologically, it's more empowering to deal with a resurgence than with a 'wave' or tsunami. The first surge was definitely a wave, but for the second surge we should know better. If the second surge was a new wave, the 'inevitability' would be understandable.

Further, when the Minister of Health @DrZweliMkhize talks about non-pharmaceutical, it means that the only intervention that matters is pharmaceutical. I have a serious problem with this, and hence people are so helpless when it comes to preventing infection. It's unacceptable!

We keep reinforcing the fact that ours is a curative health system, and it's got nothing to do with other forms of interventions except medication. Well, this virus is reminding us that social sciences and humanities are just as important as basic and clinical sciences.

In conclusion, my rant is about this careless use of concepts or words. I complained about NPIs until I let it go. I corrected 'second wave' until I started to sound pedantic. Now we're going to be saying a New Strain, and I'm already preparing myself to just allow at some point.