The variant first detected in Kent will be known as "Alpha", while the variant first detected in India will be known as "Delta".
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Global health leaders have announced new names for coronavirus variants using letters of the Greek alphabet.
Experts working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) developed the labels for variants which are often colloquially named after the places where they are first detected.
Many variants of Sars-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, have been identified around the world.
They include B.1.1.7, known in the UK as the Kent variant and around the world as the UK variant – but now labelled by the WHO as Alpha.
The B.1.617.2 variant, often referred to as the Indian variant, has been labelled Delta, while B.1.351, often referred to as the South African variant, has been named Beta.
The P.1 so-called Brazilian variant has been labelled Gamma.
The WHO said these labels were chosen after wide consultation and a review of many naming systems.
The organisation said the labels do not replace existing scientific names, which convey important scientific information and will continue to be used in research.
“While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting,” the WHO said.
“As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatising and discriminatory.
“To avoid this and to simplify public communications, WHO encourages national authorities, media outlets and others to adopt these new labels.”
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HeadlineAlpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta: Coronavirus variants get new Greek alphabet names
Short HeadlineCoronavirus variants receive new names
StandfirstThe WHO said the current practice of naming variants after the locations they were detected in "is stigmatising and discriminatory."
Global health leaders have announced new names for coronavirus variants using letters of the Greek alphabet.
Experts working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) developed the labels for variants which are often colloquially named after the places where they are first detected.
Many variants of Sars-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, have been identified around the world.
They include B.1.1.7, known in the UK as the Kent variant and around the world as the UK variant – but now labelled by the WHO as Alpha.
The B.1.617.2 variant, often referred to as the Indian variant, has been labelled Delta, while B.1.351, often referred to as the South African variant, has been named Beta.
The P.1 so-called Brazilian variant has been labelled Gamma.
The WHO said these labels were chosen after wide consultation and a review of many naming systems.
The organisation said the labels do not replace existing scientific names, which convey important scientific information and will continue to be used in research.
“While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting,” the WHO said.
“As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatising and discriminatory.
“To avoid this and to simplify public communications, WHO encourages national authorities, media outlets and others to adopt these new labels.”
People who have lost loved ones to Covid seek government protection for the memorial wall, which serves as a place of remembrance for the victims of the pandemic.