pingdemic

English

Etymology

Blend of ping +‎ pandemic, coined in 2021.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛmɪk

Noun

pingdemic

1. (UK, informal, neologism) The rapid rise in self-isolation resulting from many people being sent advisory alerts ("pings") by the National Health Service’s COVID-19 test and trace app for mobile phones.
   • 2021 July 28, Paul Clifton, “Network News: COVID 'pingdemic' forces Metropolitan Line closure”, in RAIL, number 936, page 10:

     The Metropolitan Line was forced to close on July 17 because so many workers were self-isolating that insufficient control room staff remained to run the service.

   • 2021 September 11, Valentina Romei, “Recovery slows as 'pingdemic' dents growth: Delta variant”, in Financial Times, London, page 3:

     Output in consumer-facing services fell 0.3 per cent in July, the first decline since January, mainly because of a 2.5 per cent drop in retail sales during bad weather and a spike in cases in mid-July that caused the so-called "pingdemic", after the NHS Covid-19 app ordered hundreds of thousands to self-isolate.

   • 2022 January 5, “‘Pingdemic’ lessons: established 1855”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, page 17:

     To that end, testing should be used to keep society open not shut it down, which is what is happening now despite Mr Johnson's intentions. That lesson should have been learnt with the "pingdemic" last summer but apparently was not.

   • 2023 March 29, “‘Pingdemic’ Covid app to be locked down forever”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 2:

     The NHS Covid-19 app behind the controversial “pingdemic” is to be shut down next month. The digital contact tracing service, which crippled businesses and forced millions of workers into quarantine, will stop working on April 27 for lack of use.