WHO chooses “Omicron” name to avoid stigmatizing Chinese people

The World Health Organisation (WHO) named the new emerging COVID-19 variant “Omicron” previously referred to as B.1.1.529 this weekend.

Omicron first emerged in South Africa in late November this year and was named after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. The WHO, however, skipped two letters when naming the new variant.

According to the order of the Greek alphabet, the variant’s name should have either been Nu or Xi.

Sources told media outlets that the letter Nu was eliminated to avoid confusion with the word “new.”

As for the letter Xi, the reason is not phonetic but diplomatic, considering Xi is a Chinese name and that of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

Choosing the Greek letter Xi to name a variant of a virus that first appeared on Chinese territory could offend Chinese people, and the WHO followed its rule not to name a variant with common names of places, people, or even animals, to avoid any stigmatization.

The Omicron variant is the fifth COVID-19 virus to be designated by the WHO as a concern. Before it, the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants had been identified as such by the scientific authority.