End stigma, aid science: WHO hopes Greek names for Covid strains will do so

A country may be more willing to report it has found a new variant if it knows nomenclature won't cause trouble, say experts.

A new naming system for variants of Covid-19 using Greek alphabets has been announced, WHO said in a statement on Monday.

The agency has named four variants of concern, known to the public as the UK/Kent (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), Brazil (P.1) and India (B.1.617.2) variants as letters Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta respectively. The earlier variant detected in India will be known as Kappa.

Maria Van Kerkhove, Covid-19 technical lead at WHO, said in Twitter posts the new labels for SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concerns (VoCs) and Interests (VoIs) will not replace existing scientific names and will continue to be used in research.

She said that no country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants.

A country may be more willing to report it has found a new variant if it knows the version will be identified as Rho or Sigma rather than with the country’s name, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s coronavirus lead.

These labels will help with a public discussion about VoC/VOI as the numbering system can be difficult to follow.

"Globally, we need robust surveillance for variants, incl epi, molecular and sequencing to be carried out and shared.  We need to continue to do all we can to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2", tweeted WHO representative.

The Greek alphabet system has been chosen following wide consultation and a review of several potential systems, Kerkhove said.

 When the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet have been exhausted, another series like it will be announced, Van Kerkhove said.  

According to a report by 'The Guardian' that quoted bacteriologist Mark Pallen, the decision to go for this naming system came after months of deliberations with experts considering a range of other possibilities such as Greek Gods.

According to WHO, 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, The Guardian said in its report.