Covid-26 and 32… as WHO labels Covid-19 variants with Greek alphabets
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: American disease experts have urged China to come clean on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic virus, and one of them warned that the scourge may evolve into “Covid-26” and “Covid-32”, indicating its recurrence in the years 2026 and 2032.
After US President Joe Biden directed the intelligence agencies to uncover the virus’s origin within 90 days, these experts urged Beijing to cooperate with the world if the true origins of Covid-19 are to be ever understood.
Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in Donald Trump’s presidency and now a Board member of global vaccine-maker Pfizer Inc told a TV news channel on Sunday that information supporting the lab-leak theory is now gaining traction. The search for virus origins among wildlife has not yielded results and China has not provided enough evidence to disprove the leak theory.
Peter Hotez, Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, even warned of “Covid-26” and “Covid-32” unless the origins of the virus are ascertained.
While the world is struggling with the pandemic and its origins, the World Health Organization (WHO) began to use the Greek letters to label the various variants of Covid-19.
On Monday, it said the coronavirus variant first found in India will be known as the “Delta” variant. Officially, it was referred to as B.1.617.2 and was first reported in October 2020. Another variant first identified in India in October 2020 (B.1.617.1) will now be referred to as “Kappa”.
The WHO announced new labels for Covid Variants of Concern (VOC) and Variants of Interest (VOC). Other variants found in different countries have also been given new names amid debate over the correct naming of variants, without attributing it to a particular region or country, which the health watchdog had warned could cause stigmatization. India and other countries had protested against the variants being named after these nations.
Accordingly, the Covid-19 variant first spotted in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) in September 2020 will now be known as “Alpha”. The B.1.351 variant first found in South Africa in May 2020 will now be referred to as “Beta”. Almost all variants that have infected significant parts of the global population have received new names.
The variant first found in Brazil in November 2020 (P.1) will now be known as “Gamma”. Another variant, also identified in Brazil in April 2020 (P.2), will be known as “Zeta”.
In March 2020, a variant found in the USA (B.1.427/B.1.429) will now be known as “Epsilon”. Another variant first reported in the US in November 2020 (B.1.526) will become “Iota”.
Several countries had reported cases of the B.1.525 variant in December 2020, which will now be called “Eta”. The variant first identified in the Philippines in January 2021 (P.3) is now called “Theta”.
The media reported that all variants have varying capabilities in terms of potential fatality and some are more transmissible than others. In view of some countries protesting against naming variants after their place of origins, the WHO’s labeling these strains could end the debate over the most acceptable nomenclature. Scientists believe variants will continue to prop up in different parts of the world unless vaccines are deployed on a war footing.
Many countries have supported the probe into the Covid-19’s origins. Now, scientists have also joined the chorus, warning of more fatal viruses if the real places of origin are not revealed.
The lab-leak theory, long seen as a largely Republican outlook at the virus, has gained attention after US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, called for a renewed investigation into Covid-19 origins.
Last week, he said that he had ordered officials to “redouble their efforts” and to report to him again in 90 days.
