Until now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has followed the Greek alphabet to name the variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that have emerged.
As a result, the agency is expected to name the latest variant, first discovered in South Africa, “Nu”, which follows “Mu”, an earlier variant identified on 30 August.
However, the WHO skipped Well as well as Xi, the next letter in the alphabet, as many social media users questioned whether it was done so as not to offend Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The body is now clearing up the contradiction. In a statement sent to the AP news agency, the international health agency explained that it dropped the name Niu for clarity and Xi so as not to offend anyone.
“Nu” is easily confused with “new”, and “xi” was not used because it is a common nickname, “the WHO said, adding that” the agency’s best practices for labeling diseases are to not offend anyone. ” cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic group. “
For the first time, WHO omitted letters when naming coronavirus variants. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta are currently “interesting options,” as is Omicron. Others, namely Lambda, Kappa and Mu, were identified as “options of interest,” that is, less serious.
The Omicron variant appears to have a large number of mutations in the Spike protein, which may make it easier to spread. The WHO said preliminary data “suggest an increased risk of re-infection” compared to other alarming options.
But scientists are still researching what exactly these genetic changes mean in order to find out if this option is more transmissible or dangerous. So far, there is no indication that this variant causes more serious illness.
WHO today warned that the global risk associated with the new option is “very high”. “Given the large number of Omicron mutations capable of being more resistant to immunization and more infectious, the risk of transmission of this variant worldwide is ‘high’, according to the official document.
“There could be new waves of COVID-19 with serious consequences, depending on many factors, such as where these waves originate,” the body adds.
Faced with these risks, WHO is urging Member States to take some priority measures, including “expediting vaccination against covid-19 as soon as possible, especially among the risk group that remains unvaccinated.”
He also urges all countries to strengthen surveillance, report possible cases or outbreaks associated with this option, and that laboratories increase the sequencing work required to analyze the structure of the coronavirus.
Ómicron has already appeared in several countries, leaving governments around the world in a fight to interrupt transmission, namely in Portugal, where 13 cases have already been identified. Watch Here all countries that have reported infection with this variant.
