Is it all Greek to you? Coronavirus variants get new names

Coronavirus variants with clunky, alphanumeric names have now been assigned the letters of the Greek alphabet to simplify discussion and pronunciation while avoiding stigma. The World Health Organisation revealed the new names on Monday amid criticism that those given by scientists to strains such as the South African variant - which goes by multiple names including B.1.351, 501Y.V2 and 20H/501Y.V2 - were too complicated. Since the pandemic began, the names people have used to describe the virus have provoked controversy. Former US President Donald Trump called the new coronavirus "the China virus" and other monikers, raising concern he was using the names as a political weapon to shift blame to a rival nation. The WHO, which has urged people not to use language to advance Covid-19 profiling of people or nationalities, has also said people should avoid using country names in association with emerging variants. The four coronavirus variants considered of concern by the UN agency and known generally by the public as the UK, South Africa, Brazil and India variants have now been assigned the Greek letters Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, respectively, according to the order of their detection. Other variants of interest continue down the alphabet. "While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting," said the WHO, explaining the decision.