Goodbye B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1. Hello Alpha, Beta and Gamma. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced May 31 that it has given new names to the several versions, or variants, of new coronavirus spreading around the world. Based on Greek letters, the names are simple and easy to remember. The international health agency recognized that the scientific names can be difficult to say. It said, “As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory.” As early as 2015, the WHO had advised scientists, officials and the media to avoid naming new infectious diseases after people, animals and places. It said to avoid names like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, or Legionnaires Disease, which have since become part of medical history. Instead, the WHO said, names should be descriptive terms based on general symptoms, or signs of sickness, caused by the disease. Dr. Keiji Fukuda was WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Security at the time. He said, “This may seem like a trivial issue to some, but disease names really do matter to the people who are directly affected.” He noted that disease names of the past have caused damage to economies, trade, and members of religious or ethnic communities. In the United States, there has been a large increase of incidents against Asian-Americans since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Some people blamed ethnic Asians for the spread of the coronavirus. The first cases of the disease were reported in Wuhan, China. A group of Los Angeles, California-based organizations released a report called Stop AAPI Hate. It found that reports of anti-Asian discrimination increased after then-President Donald Trump repeatedly used the term “Chinese virus” last year to describe the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Last month, Agence-France Presse reported that the Indian government ordered the country’s social media to remove all writings that referred to the “Indian variant.” The government said the term could suggest India was to blame for the disease. The WHO says it will continue to use the scientific name SARS-CoV-2 to describe the coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan. The disease it causes is still called coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. And scientists will continue to use the difficult-to-remember names of the variants in their research. For the public, the variant first identified in Britain will now be called Alpha. The one first identified in South Africa will be known as Beta; the one in Brazil as Gamma; and the one in India as Delta. As new variants of concern and of interest are identified, the WHO said it will work with experts to name them after Greek letters.
Title: WHO Uses Greek Letters for Naming COVID Variants
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='WHO Uses Greek Letters for Naming COVID Variants' data-article-id='5677'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8375'>Goodbye B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1.</span> <span data-start-time='8375' data-end-time='12813'>Hello Alpha, Beta and Gamma.</span> <span data-start-time='12813' data-end-time='28354'>The World Health Organization (WHO) announced May 31 that it has given new names to the several versions, or variants, of new coronavirus spreading around the world. </span> <span data-start-time='28354' data-end-time='35354'>Based on Greek letters, the names are simple and easy to remember.</span> <span data-start-time='35354' data-end-time='44229'>The international health agency recognized that the scientific names can be difficult to say. </span> <span data-start-time='44229' data-end-time='58354'>It said, “As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory.”</span> <span data-start-time='58354' data-end-time='76750'>As early as 2015, the WHO had advised scientists, officials and the media to avoid naming new infectious diseases after people, animals and places. </span> <span data-start-time='76750' data-end-time='91271'>It said to avoid names like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, or Legionnaires Disease, which have since become part of medical history. </span> <span data-start-time='91271' data-end-time='104250'>Instead, the WHO said, names should be descriptive terms based on general symptoms, or signs of sickness, caused by the disease.</span> <span data-start-time='104250' data-end-time='113000'>Dr. Keiji Fukuda was WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Security at the time. </span> <span data-start-time='113000' data-end-time='124604'>He said, “This may seem like a trivial issue to some, but disease names really do matter to the people who are directly affected.” </span> <span data-start-time='124604' data-end-time='137104'>He noted that disease names of the past have caused damage to economies, trade, and members of religious or ethnic communities.</span> <span data-start-time='137104' data-end-time='149250'>In the United States, there has been a large increase of incidents against Asian-Americans since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. </span> <span data-start-time='149250' data-end-time='155708'>Some people blamed ethnic Asians for the spread of the coronavirus. </span> <span data-start-time='155708' data-end-time='162167'>The first cases of the disease were reported in Wuhan, China.</span> <span data-start-time='162167' data-end-time='173021'>A group of Los Angeles, California-based organizations released a report called Stop AAPI Hate.</span> <span data-start-time='173021' data-end-time='192521'>It found that reports of anti-Asian discrimination increased after then-President Donald Trump repeatedly used the term “Chinese virus” last year to describe the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.</span> <span data-start-time='192521' data-end-time='207292'>Last month, Agence-France Presse reported that the Indian government ordered the country’s social media to remove all writings that referred to the “Indian variant.” </span> <span data-start-time='207292' data-end-time='214625'>The government said the term could suggest India was to blame for the disease.</span> <span data-start-time='214625' data-end-time='229188'>The WHO says it will continue to use the scientific name SARS-CoV-2 to describe the coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan. </span> <span data-start-time='229188' data-end-time='238063'>The disease it causes is still called coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. </span> <span data-start-time='238063' data-end-time='247375'>And scientists will continue to use the difficult-to-remember names of the variants in their research.</span> <span data-start-time='247375' data-end-time='255042'>For the public, the variant first identified in Britain will now be called Alpha. </span> <span data-start-time='255042' data-end-time='268292'>The one first identified in South Africa will be known as Beta; the one in Brazil as Gamma; and the one in India as Delta.</span> <span data-start-time='268292' data-end-time='281333'>As new variants of concern and of interest are identified, the WHO said it will work with experts to name them after Greek letters.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17533 data-hint-location='12813' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/what_is_a_variant.wav'>What is a variant?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/the_action_or_fact_of_complying_with_a_wish_or_command.wav'><span>the action or fact of complying with a wish or command</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/a_substance_used_to_aid_the_spread_of_fire.wav'><span>a substance used to aid the spread of fire</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/a_form_or_version_of_something_that_differs_in_some_respect_from_other_forms_of_the_same_thing_or_from_a_standard.wav'><span>a form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/exactly_like_something_else_especially_through_having_been_copied.wav'><span>exactly like something else, especially through having been copied</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17534 data-hint-location='247375' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/what_will_the_variant_first_identified_in_britain_be_called.wav'>What will the variant first identified in Britain be called?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Alpha'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/alpha.wav'><span>Alpha</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/beta.wav'><span>Beta</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/gamma.wav'><span>Gamma</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/london.wav'><span>London</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17535 data-hint-location='229188' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/the_disease_it_causes_is_still_called_coronavirus_disease_2019_or__blank__.wav'>The disease it causes is still called coronavirus disease 2019, or <span class='blank'>COVID-19</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='COVID-19'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/the_new_flu.wav'><span>the new flu</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/swine_flu.wav'><span>swine flu</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/bird_flu.wav'><span>bird flu</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5140/covid19.wav'><span>COVID-19</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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