WHO renames COVID-19 virus variants with Greek letters
The variant detected in the United Kingdom was will become Alpha, South Africa will become Beta and India, Delta. The Brazilian one was named as the Gamma variant.
New tags will not replace existing scientific names.
Photo: Getty Images
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Tuesday a new naming system for Covid variants – 19.
From now on, the WHO will use Greek letters to refer to the variants detected for the first once in countries like UK, South Africa and India.
UK variant, for example, is labeled Alpha, South Africa is Beta, and India is labeled Delta.
Brazil’s was named as the Gamma variant.
WHO noted that the measure was for simplify discussions, but also to help remove some of the stigma from names.
Earlier this month, the Indian government criticized the naming of variant B.1. 617. 2, first detected in is e country last October, as the “Indian variant”, although the WHO had never officially labeled it as such.
“No country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants ”Maria Van Kerkhove, covid technical lead, tweeted – 19 from The OMS.
Today, @ WHO announces new, easy-to-say labels for # SARSCoV2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) & Interest (VOIs)
They will not replace existing scientific names, but are aimed to help in public discussion of VOI / VOC
The organization is also calling for “strong surveillance” of variants and the exchange of scientific data to help stop the spread.
Letters will refer to both variants of concern and variants of interest.
WHO published a complete list of names on its website.
These Greek letters will not replace existing scientific names.
Vietnam has detected what appears to be a combination of two variants.
If more than are officially identified variants, the system runs out of Greek letters and a new naming program will be announced, Van Kerkhove told STAT News in an interview.
“We are not saying that B.1.1.7 is replaced, but actually it is about helping in the dialogue with the average person,” said the expert. “So that in public speaking we can discuss some of these variants in more user-friendly language.”
On Monday, a scientist advising the UK government said that the country s was in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus infections, partly driven by the Delta or Indian variant.
It is believed to spread more rapidly than the Alpha variant (UK; Kent), which was responsible for the increase in cases in the UK during the winter.
Vietnam, meanwhile, has detected what appears to be a combination of those two variants.
On Saturday, the country’s Health Minister said it could spread quickly through the air and described it as “very dangerous.”
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