- BBC News Mundo
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday a new naming system for variants of Covid-19.
From now on, the WHO will use Greek letters to refer to variants first detected in countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, and India.
The UK variant, for example, is labeled Alpha, the South African variant is Beta, and the Indian variant is Delta.
The one from Brazil was named the Gamma variant.
The WHO indicated that the measure was intended to simplify discussions, but also to help remove some of the stigma surrounding the names.
Earlier this month, the Indian government criticized the designation of variant B.1.617.2, first detected in that country last October, as the "Indian variant," even though the WHO had never officially labeled it as such.
"No country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants," tweeted Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for COVID-19.
The organization is also calling for "robust surveillance" of variants and the sharing of scientific data to help stop the spread.
The letters will refer to both variants that cause concern and variants of interest.
The WHO published a full list of names on its website.
These Greek letters will not replace existing scientific names.
If more than 24 variants are officially identified, the system will run out of Greek letters and a new naming program will be announced, Van Kerkhove told STAT News in an interview.
"We're not saying that B.1.1.7 should be replaced, but rather that it should facilitate dialogue with the average person," the expert stated. "So that in public discourse we can discuss some of these variations in easier-to-understand language."
On Monday, a scientist advising the UK government said the country was in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus infections, partly driven by the Delta or Indian variant.
This variant is believed to spread more rapidly than the Alpha variant (UK; Kent), which was responsible for the surge in cases in the UK during the winter.
Vietnam, meanwhile, has detected what appears to be a combination of those two variants. On Saturday, the country's health minister said it could spread rapidly through the air and described it as "very dangerous."