While medical terms used to simply be a category of vocabulary that only the most advanced Japanese-language students would learn, these days they are hard to avoid. Being able to identify such words and phrases in newspaper headlines or government reports can help you get a better understanding of what is going on with the pandemic.

  • みなし陽性 (minashi yōsei, deemed/presumed positive) — With a rapid rise in omicron cases, doctors now believe if you are in close contact with someone who has the COVID-19 variant then you also likely have it. Ex: 同居家族で症状がある場合はみなし陽性者とする (Dōkyo kazoku de shōjō ga aru baai wa minashi yōsei-sha to suru, When symptoms appear among family members who live together, it is presumed [everyone is] positive).