Covid-19 variants to be given Greek alphabet names: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Covid-19 variants of concern will be known by letters of the Greek alphabet, saying it will help avoid stigmatising countries where they first appear. A group of experts convened by the health organization recommended the new labelling, which "will be easier and more practical to (be) discussed by non-scientific audiences," the WHO said on Monday, DPA news agency reported.
The organization said that the existing systems for naming and tracking genetic lineages of SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes Covid-19 - will remain in use by scientists and in scientific research. So far, the WHO has identified four variants of concern.
The one first detected in Britain will be known as Alpha, the one first found in South Africa will be Beta and the one first identified in Brazil will be Gamma. The newest of the four, which was first detected in India and designated as a variant of concern on May 11, will be known as Delta.
The labelling announcement came as WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the coronavirus pandemic is far from over as he closed the group's annual meeting, moved online this year due to the disease. "The reality is, we still have a lot of work to do to end this pandemic," he said. "We're very encouraged that cases and deaths are continuing to decline globally, but it would be a monumental error for any country to think the danger has passed."
He stressed the importance of precautions that have gone into common usage since the pandemic started: social-distancing, hand-washing, wearing facial masks and ensuring a fair distribution of vaccines.