Several letters were skipped to land on Omicron.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization has been classifying each of its newly-discovered variants using the letters of the Greek alphabet. The initial variant was the Alpha, then there were Beta and Gamma variants, followed by the infamous Delta variant. Between the discovery of Delta and now, there were actually eight other variants, including Epsilon, Iota, Lambda, and others, but thankfully, these variants weren’t able to pick up traction.
According to the Greek alphabet, the World Health Organization was expected to name the latest Covid-19 variant "Nu" or "Xi."
But both names were seen as problematic, and the health agency went straight to Omicron — the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet. https://t.co/LYJNJjRdby
— CNN (@CNN) November 29, 2021
With the discovery of the Omicron variant in South Africa, however, some have noted that the WHO skipped over two Greek letters: Nu and Xi. According to the WHO, there were good reasons for not using either of these two letters.
“Nu is too easily confounded with ‘new’ and Xi was not used because it is a common surname,” the organization explained in an emailed statement to CNN. “And WHO best practices for naming new diseases suggest ‘avoiding causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups.'”
The Omicron variant may lead to more infections but vaccinated people will likely remain protected from severe disease, vaccine maker BioNTech's founder said https://t.co/uaxGAs7Zld
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 30, 2021
There is definitely some truth to the latter concern, as many still associate the coronavirus with the city of Wuhan where it was discovered, and by extension, China and its populace. This is why the WHO has been making an effort to refrain from naming and categorizing diseases based on their points of origin.
Tom Holland to Remain MCU Spider-Man
Toys R Us to Open New Flagship Location
-
Hunter Biden Files Civil Lawsuit Against Rudy Giuliani and Former Attorney for Alleged Digital Privacy Violations In a significant...
-
Justin Trudeau Calls for Answers in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar Case Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a...
-
Vivek Ramaswamy Unveils Bold Reform Agenda for 2024 Elections Indian American entrepreneur and Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has...
-
House Republicans Launch Formal Impeachment Inquiry into President Biden The US House of Representatives has announced the initiation of...
-
Tensions Rise as the U.S. Takes Action Against Violations of Sanctions and International Law in the Gulf The United...
-
Concerns Arise Over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Health and Fitness to Lead Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s recent...
-
Former President Trump’s Legal Team Addresses Criminal Charges and Trials In response to the mounting criminal charges and upcoming...
-
Exploring Factors Behind President Biden’s Approval Ratings Polling data reveals that President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have encountered challenges,...
-
The U.S. President assures support and aid as island grapples with Deadly wildfires and recovery challenges US President Joe...
-
Tragedy unfolds as FBI confronts man over alleged threats against President Biden An incident unfolding on Wednesday shocked the...
-
Protecting the Process in Trump’s January 6 Case In the federal courthouse of Washington, DC, security measures surrounding the...
-
A New York Times/Siena College poll reveals surprising results A recent New York Times/Siena College poll reveals an intriguing...