WHO Renames Coronavirus Variants: Greek Alphabet Naming

Introduction

To address stigmatization and racial discrimination, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has introduced a new naming system for Coronavirus variants. The variants are now identified using letters from the Greek alphabet, replacing previous nomenclature methods.

New Naming System

Assigned Greek Letters

• The Kent variant: Renamed as Alpha.
• The Indian variant: Now referred to as Delta.
• The South African variant: Designated as Beta.

Additional variants have also received new designations, all of which are listed on the WHO website.

Reasoning Behind the Change

The decision to use Greek letters was made to avoid complexity associated with scientific names. Previous designations such as B.1.1.7 for the Kent variant were deemed too intricate for widespread use.

Coexistence with Scientific Names

While the new names are intended for public communication, the scientific names will retain importance in research due to their conveyance of specific genetic information.

Future Naming Protocol

As new variants emerge, they will be named sequentially using the Greek alphabet. Once all 24 letters have been used, a new naming series will be introduced.