WHO explains why the “Xi” was skipped when naming the new COVID-19 variant Omicron

The World Health Organization (WHO) explained why the Greek letters “nu” and “xi” were skipped when naming the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

“Nu was easily confused with” new “and Xi was not used because it is a generic name, so the two letters (Nu and Xi) were skipped. [the] WHO’s best practices for naming new illnesses “suggest to avoid causing crime to cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups,” the UN agency said. Said in a statement to the Epoch Times on Saturday.

WHO best practices for naming new illnesses Developed in 2015 in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Professor Jonathan Turley, a criminal lawyer and professor at George Washington University, speculated that when WHO skipped the letter “Xi” and named it Omicron, it “avoided the discomfort of the Chinese government again.”

“The new variant was expected to be Nu, but the additional variant will be Xi, which happens to be the name of a Chinese leader,” he says. I wrote on Twitter..

“It’s not clear if there is another reason for the decision to skip Nu and Xi, but WHO’s history of investigating the origin of the pandemic has fueled speculation about political motivation,” he suggested. .. “This is a demonstration of the organization’s ongoing credibility issues after the initial investigation. Even the new panel has been criticized for its imbalance and member background.”

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Twitter Blame WHO “I’m scared of the Chinese Communist Party.” Meanwhile, Senator Tom Cotton (Republican) Blame WHO “I’m more interested in the sentiment of the Chinese Communist Party than in public health.”

Besides Omicron, WHO Specified Five other “mutants of concern” and two “mutants of interest”.

Earlier this year, the WHO adopted Greek letters to “pronounce and not irritate” variants of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that cause COVID-19 disease.

The Omicron strain identified as B.1.1.529 was first detected in Botswana and South Africa within the past week. South African scientists say there is an unusual combination of mutations in pesplomers that may allow the virus to evade immunity from previous infections and vaccinations.

Early evidence suggests that Omicron has a higher risk of reinfection compared to other mutants such as Delta and Alpha strains, WHO said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a top South African doctor told The Telegraph that the new variant causes unusual but mild symptoms.

Maria Van Kerkhove, Head of the WHO Emerging Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases Unit, said that WHO has “some worrisome traits,” that is, numerous mutations, some of which are “some.” It has characteristics of concern, “he said, naming the new strain a variant of concern. .. “

“Once a variant has been classified as a variant of concern, we want to be able to detect this circulating variant, so it is very important to have good SARS-CoV-2 surveillance around the world, including better genomic sequencing. It’s important, “Van Kerkhove said in an interview with the Associated Press.

“We also do field research to do the necessary research in clusters and laboratories to diagnose, treat, or vaccine for changes in severity.”

New CCP virus variants have caused travel bans in several countries, including what South African health ministers call “unjust”, such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Russia and Australia. I did.

The United States has restricted travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi to curb the spread of Omicron.

Anthony Fauci, a longtime director of the National Institute for Allergic Infectious Diseases, said the travel ban was intended to spend more time assessing new variants, saying, “There is no reason to panic. “.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Friday, no new cases of Omicron virus variants have been identified in the United States.

Reported by Zachary Stieber

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Mimi Nguyen Ly is a global news reporter based in Australia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in optometry and visual science. Contact her at [email protected].