World Health Organization announced on Monday that COVID 19 variants are to be known by letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid stigmatizing nations where they were first detected.

The new system applies to variants of concern, the most troubling of which four are in circulation and the second-level variants of interest being tracked.

WHO’s COVID 19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove said that they will not replace existing scientific names but are aimed to help in public discussion.

Under the new system, the variants of concern will take the following names: the hitherto so-called British variant B.1.1.7 becomes Alpha; the B.1.351 first discovered in South Africa becomes Beta, while the Brazilian P.1 becomes Gamma.

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The double mutant variant which was first detected in India and was called Indian variant B.1.617 will split into sub-lineages, of which the B.1.617.2 variant of concern becomes Delta, and the another B.1.617.1 variant of interest is called Kappa.

There are two other scientific names in use for each mutation, while different geographic names have been used to describe the same variant. 

For example, within Britain, what other countries have been referring to as the British variant is often called the Kent variant, the county in southeast England where it was first discovered.

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The lineage names such as B.1.1.7.2 will still continue to be used in scientific circles, for the mutation information that their name conveys.

WHO said, “While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting.  As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory.”

To avoid such things and simplify public communications, WHO encouraged national authorities, media outlets, and others to adopt these new labels.

US President Joe Biden signed a hate crimes law this month that aimed at protecting Asian Americans who have suffered a surge in attacks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Since the beginning of the crisis, the number of attacks and hate crimes against Asian Americans has exploded, says US anti-extremism groups. They blame Former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as the “China virus”.

For several months, WHO has been trying to come up with simplified new nomenclature for the variants.

The Greek alphabet contains 24 letters but there is no plan yet as to where to go next if they are exhausted. Alphabets like Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, and Iota have already been ascribed to variants of interest.