They might start using sequences of numbers and letters, like B.1.1.216 or A.23.1
Somewhere I read they’re actually going to use names of constellations. Andromeda is a constellation.
Gotta catch em all? No, don’t think so.
It seems to me that a lot of the covid “variants of interest” never graduate to become “variants of concern”. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron all made the latter category, while some of the variants of interest have lost that designation.
Perhaps we should hold off giving short, catchy names to variants of interest until they become variants of concern, or name the former after elements of a set with a lot more members?
Well, yes, sure, Phoenician, but just that nobody uses that any more…
If we did that, you’d have future children hearing about Pokemon and their names and saying, “Hey, that’s a coronavirus strain!”
(Kind of like kids hearing this and saying, “That’s the Ozempic song.” Pilot - It's Magic • TopPop - YouTube )
Say, rather, we all use Phoenician.
When the Pargon variant comes around I’m just giving up and locking myself away.
They can go back and use “Xi”, they seemed to have skipped that letter for some reason.
Because it’s a common family name in China.
Technically they are named a series of letters and numbers. I assume the variations within get sub letters/ numbers. The orginal delta was B.1.617.2. It’s given the greek designations for public discussion.
And the letter itself is pronounced “zee”, which might have many people thinking that it’s a Z variant and therefore the last one we would ever have.
I mean, they skipped nu, too. I don’t think they’ll be going back.
Black is a common family name in the English speaking world and no one cried about it being called the Black Plague.
For all we know, people named Black did complain, but whatever records of those complaints were made (if any) did not survive the 650 years since. But I can guarantee you that any proposal to name a disease “Black” today will be shot down immediately. And not just because of the common family name.
Well, that settles it - we need to go with the NATO Phonetic Alphabet so we don’t have to deal with any issues of people complaining about the names of the Charlie variant, the Mike variant, the Yankee variant, or the Zulu variant.
Then people will complain about the India variant (which actually happened, as the variant first found in India became Delta instead); and the Lima variant, and the Quebec variant.
People in the hospitality industry will complain about the Hotel variant, dancers will complain about the Foxtrot and Tango variants, NY sports fans will complain about the Yankee variant, Shakespearean fans will complain about the Romeo and Juliet variants.
And Trump will complain about the Golf variant.
No I said “cried”. If you dispute the claim then provide evidence.
That would be very confusing to people going forward whenever a new variant emerged. “OK, is it a new variant, or is it the nu variant?” or “Will the vaccine work on the nu variant, or a new variant?”.
And I can see why they skipped xi - we already have enough problems with President Xi of China, and the whole racist China-virus thing.