UK-Origin Alpha, India-Origin Delta... COVID-19 Variants Get New Names

"To Prevent Stigmatization and Discrimination Against Specific Countries"

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) website

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The World Health Organization (WHO) on the 31st (local time) assigned new names to major COVID-19 variants.

From this day forward, WHO decided to refer to variant viruses found in specific countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, and India by new names using Greek letters.

The variant from the UK was named 'Alpha', the variant from South Africa 'Beta', the variant from Brazil 'Gamma', and the variant from India 'Delta'.

WHO introduced the new naming system out of concern for stigmatization or discrimination against specific countries. WHO stated, "Usually, variant viruses are named after the places where they are discovered, but this causes stigma or discrimination," and added, "To prevent this, we encourage national authorities and the media to adopt the new names."

WHO assigned new names not only to the four 'variants of concern' from the UK, South Africa, Brazil, and India but also to six 'variants of interest' at a lower level.

However, the new names do not replace existing scientific names such as B.1.351. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead, explained, "This is not to replace scientific names but to make it easier to refer to variant viruses in society."

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, there is a possibility that a new naming system may be introduced in the future. Van Kerkhove stated, "Since there are 24 Greek letters, if more variants are discovered beyond that, we will announce a new naming system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.