{"id":263575,"date":"2021-05-31T21:28:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T18:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/who-switches-to-greek-alphabet-for-virus-variant-names\/"},"modified":"2021-05-31T21:28:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T18:28:46","slug":"who-switches-to-greek-alphabet-for-virus-variant-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/who-switches-to-greek-alphabet-for-virus-variant-names\/","title":{"rendered":"#WHO switches to Greek alphabet for virus variant names"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#WHO switches to Greek alphabet for virus variant names<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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COVID-19 variants are to be known by letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid stigmatizing nations where they were first detected, the World Health Organization announced Monday.\n <\/p>\n

The new system app<\/a>lies to variants of concern\u2014the most troubling of which four are in circulation\u2014and the second-level variants of interest being tracked.<\/p>\n

“They will not replace existing scientific names, but are aimed to help in public discussion,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead.<\/p>\n

Under the new system, the variants of concern take on the following names: the hitherto so-called British variant B.1.1.7 becomes Alpha; the B.1.351 first discovered in South Africa becomes Beta, while the Brazilian P.1 becomes Gamma.<\/p>\n

The so-called Indian variant B.1.617 is split into sub-lineages, of which the B.1.617.2 variant of concern becomes Delta.<\/p>\n

The B.1.617.1 variant of interest is called Kappa.<\/p>\n

Besides these names, there are two other scientific names in use for each mutation, while different geographic names have been used to describe the same variant.<\/p>\n

For example, within Britain, what other countries have been referring to as the British variant is often called the Kent variant\u2014the county in southeast England where it was first discovered.<\/p>\n

The lineage names such as B.1.1.7.2 will still continue to be used in scientific circles, for the mutation information that their name conveys.<\/p>\n

‘Stigmatizing and discriminatory’<\/b><\/p>\n

“While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting,” the WHO said in a statement.<\/p>\n

“As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory.<\/p>\n

“To avoid this and to simplify public communications, WHO encourages national authorities, media<\/a> outlets and others to adopt these new labels.”<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden signed a hate crimes law aimed at protecting Asian Americans who have suffered a surge in attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

US anti-extremism groups say the number of attacks and hate crimes against Asian Americans has exploded since the beginning of the crisis.<\/p>\n

They lay some of the blame with former president Donald Trump, who repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus”.<\/p>\n

The WHO has been trying to come up with simplified new nomenclature for the variants for several months.<\/p>\n

The Greek alphabet contains 24 letters but there is no plan yet as to where to go next if they are exhausted.<\/p>\n

Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta and Iota have already been ascribed to variants of interest.\n <\/p>\n\n

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Follow the latest news<\/a> on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2021 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n WHO switches to Greek alphabet for virus variant names (2021, May 31)
\n retrieved 31 May 2021
\n from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2021-05-greek-alphabet-virus-variant.html<\/p>\n

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\n part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n