With the coronavirus pandemic spreading across the globe, variants of the virus genome have been reported in multiple locations. There were different strains prevalent in the UK (B.1.1.7), India (B.1.617), South Africa (B.1.351), Brazil, and most recently Vietnam.
Now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced new nomenclature for the COVID-19 variants that were earlier referred to by the geographical location of prevalence. The WHO said it will now refer to variants by letters in the Greek alphabet.
The one prevalent in Britain will be known as the alpha variant, the one in South Africa as the beta variant, the one in Brazil as the gamma variant, and the one in India as the delta variant.
"The established nomenclature systems for naming and tracking SARS-CoV-2 genetic lineages by GISAID, Nextstrain and Pango are currently and will remain in use by scientists and in scientific research," the WHO said. "If significant mutations are identified, we can inform countries and the public about any changes needed to react to the variant, and prevent its spread," it added.
India had already expressed its opposition to the use of 'India variant' in the description of B.1.617, while countries like Singapore had taken umbrage to the use of 'Singapore variant' to describe the prevalent strain in the country, stating that it was just another version of B.1.617.
"Several media reports have covered the news of the World Health Organisation [WHO] classifying B.1.617 as a variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an 'Indian Variant'," India had stated. "These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded."
-Inputs from PTI
