Global health leaders have announced new ‘easy-to-say’ names for Covid-19 variants using letters of the Greek alphabet.
Experts working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) developed the labels for variants which are often colloquially named after the places where they are first detected.
Many variants of Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19 – have been identified around the world.
They include B.1.1.7, known in the UK as the Kent variant and around the world as the UK variant – but now labelled by the WHO as Alpha.
The B.1.617.2 variant, often known as the Indian variant, has been labelled Delta, while B.1.351, often referred to as the South African variant, has been named Beta.
Tory minister Paul Scully said the UK government is likely to start using the newly-recommended names.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He told LBC: “The thing about the names is it’s where they were first identified, but it doesn’t mean it comes from that area.
“And I don’t think it matters either way frankly, but I think we will be calling it Alpha, which is the Kent variant, and Delta as you say which is the variation that started in India.”
Asked if the government would officially change its naming policy he replied: “That’s not my decision but I suspect that will be the case.”
The 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 stigmatising and discriminatory.
“To avoid this and to simplify public communications, WHO encourages national authorities, media outlets and others to adopt these new labels.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Health officials hope the new names which are easy to say and remember will help public discussion, Sky News reports.
The P.1 Brazilian variant will now become Gamma, under the new naming system.
The WHO said these labels were chosen after wide consultation and a review of many naming systems.
The organisation said the labels do not replace existing scientific names, which convey important scientific information and will continue to be used in research.