Thanks to my honey, this thought clicked in my mind.
For over a year we have heard of the "Novel Coronavirus Pandemic."
What does the word Novel mean? Source Here
noun: novel; plural noun: novels
a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.
So, the "Novel Coronavirus Pandemic" is a fictitious Pandemic based on some degree of a real virus.
Never thought of it that way, but you are absolutely right. Many people, myself included, thought of novel as "New". It's like you always say, they have to tell us what they are doing. Weather or not we catch on is our problem.
Good post.