Identified in South Africa, it has prompted many countries to take disaster measures to limit the flow of travelers through southern Africa. The new variant of the coronavirus B.1.1.529 continues to spread around the world, in particular in the Netherlands where 13 cases were detected, Sunday, November 28. In France, its detection is “most likely a matter of hours”, said Minister of Health Olivier Véran.
Classified as “worrying” because potentially more transmissible than Delta and carrying mutations that could make it escape vaccination coverage, the new variant was named “Omicron” Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). Why this name rather than another?
In choosing this name, the WHO has in fact followed a line of conduct established at the end of May: to baptize the so-called “interest” or “worrying” variants of the coronavirus with letters of the Greek alphabet. One way to encourage the media and the general public to avoid referring to them by the name of the places where these Covid-19 mutations were detected, which the organization considers “stigmatizing and discriminatory”. The B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, was thus named “Alpha”. B.1.351, first identified in South Africa at the end of 2020, “Beta”. Then B.1.617.2, detected in India, “Delta”.
Before Omicron, the last variant to have received a Greek name is Mu, identified at the beginning of the year in Colombia and designated as “variant of interest” at the end of August. Logic would therefore have wanted the new variant to be baptized “Nu”, a letter which follows “Mu” in the Greek alphabet. Before Omicron received his official name on Friday, many media and personalities had also started to refer to him as “Naked”.
Eyes on the Nu variant which can turn the situation around
Nothing confirmed but we must remain very attentive
Not for nothing that it occurs in a country with <30% of the vaccinated population
Vaccination reduces viral circulation and risk of variant https://t.co/dH9aMXal4G
– Nathan Peiffer-Smadja (@nathanpsmad) November 26, 2021
The Nu variant is speeding up the implementation of new measures in Belgium: acceleration of vaccination, closure of clubs and restaurants at 11 p.m. # covid19 https://t.co/b48dl1ibXf
– Release (@libe) November 27, 2021
But the WHO preferred to skip two letters of the Greek alphabet, “Nu” and “Xi”, to go directly to “Omicron”. Contacted by the New York Times, a spokesperson for the Organization explained this choice by the desire to avoid confusion with the English word “new” (“new” in English), with a similar pronunciation.
The organization also wished to prevent any misunderstanding with the name Xi, which is very common in China, where it is notably worn by President Xi Jinping. And to insist again on the WHO policy, which suggests avoiding “to offend any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic group”.