# Why is everyone calling it the Coronavirus and not the "Wuhan Flu"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506 "2020-02-05T00:34:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/21 "2020-02-06T15:53:49Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Yeah, but is this going to hurt sales of Corona beer? > [@Omar Little](#): > > I’m sure it will have some impact, given the intelligence of the general population. It shouldn’t be remotely as bad as the effect on sales of Ayds (the diet candy) when the term AIDS came into use. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/22 "2020-02-06T16:18:20Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Yeah, but is this going to hurt sales of Corona beer? I have heard people suggest calling it Dos Equis Virus, on the grounds that at least it is better than Corona. Not being a beer drinker, I am agnostic on that question. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/23 "2020-02-06T21:02:07Z")
Until a better name comes along, I will call it the Wuhan virus. I wonder if this will have any effect on the classical pianist Wu Han. Maybe she’ll start calling herself Mrs. David Finkel. This virus is spreading too fast and is contagious before symptoms appear. I expect it will not stop until there is a vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/24 "2020-02-07T18:31:03Z")
Kung Flu. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/25 "2020-02-07T20:04:22Z")
To Wuhan Flu, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar ---
**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/26 "2020-02-07T20:15:27Z")
You were _so_ close to nailing “Flu-Tang.” ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/27 "2020-02-11T22:17:29Z")
Covid-19 ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/28 "2020-02-11T22:21:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Tedros said that “CO” stands for “corona”, “VI” for “virus” and “D” for “disease”, while “19” was for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31. > **[COVID-19: WHO names disease caused by new coronavirus](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/11/covid-19-who-names-disease-caused-by-new-coronavirus)** > > Global health agency says name picked to avoid references to specific location, animal species or group of people. Meh ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/29 "2020-02-11T22:39:47Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Yeah, but is this going to hurt sales of Corona beer? The brewers of Corona beer anticipated that. The new name is Ebola Beer. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/30 "2020-02-12T00:04:04Z")
From the BBC: > [@](#): > > The World Health Organization says the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus is Covid-19. > > “We now have a name for the disease and it’s Covid-19,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. > > It comes after the death toll from the virus passed 1,000. Tens of thousands of people have been infected. > > Dr Ghebreyesus called on the world to fight the new virus as aggressively as possible. > > The word coronavirus refers to the group of viruses it belongs to, rather than the latest strain. > > The virus itself has been designated SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. > > Researchers have been calling for an official name to avoid confusion and stigmatisation of any group or country. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/31 "2020-02-12T01:44:52Z")
I am sure the people at [Covid](http://www.covid.com/shop.aspx) would like to have a word with Dr Ghebreyesus. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/32 "2020-02-12T07:42:14Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The brewers of Corona beer anticipated that. The new name is Ebola Beer. [Announced here.](https://www.the-postillon.com/2020/01/Corona-Ebola.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506/33 "2020-02-13T16:25:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Tedros said that “CO” stands for “corona”, “VI” for “virus” and “D” for “disease”, while “19” was for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31. It took them weeks to come up with that? They paid their PR firm too much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everyone-calling-it-the-coronavirus-and-not-the-wuhan-flu/847506.md?page=1)