(NPR) Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants

Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants

class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions"
data-crop-type="wide"
style="
--source-width: 4000;
--source-height: 2250;
"
>

The WHO says it will start assigning new names for variants of the coronavirus based on letters from the Greek alphabet — part of an effort to help avoid stigmatization around the virus.



Fabrice Coffrini /AFP via Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Fabrice Coffrini /AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants

The new names won't replace the scientific names already assigned to new variants, but the WHO says it's making the change to help avoid fueling stigma towards nations where new variants arise.