epidemic vs. pandemic

韋氏詞典將 pandemic 列為 2020 年度單字。('Pandemic' is the Word of the Year for Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com)

epidemic 和 pandemic 都是流行病的意思
• epidemic 指可以感染眾多人的疾病。
• pandemic 感染的人更多，範圍更大，例如全球性的流行病。
(字首 pan 是全部/到處的意思)

新冠肺炎 COVID-19 在武漢蔓延時，是 epidemic；當它蔓延到其它國家時，是 pandemic 。

A disease can be declared an epidemic when it spreads over a wide area and many individuals are taken ill at the same time. If the spread escalates further, an epidemic can become a pandemic, which affects an even wider geographical area.