"COVID" is an acronym that stands for discovered (and yet to be discovered) variants of COVID-19. In January 2022, a video suggesting that “COVID” was an acronym for known and unknown variants of COVID-19 went viral on TikTok:“COVID” is not an acronym for known and unknown variants of COVID-19. This video plays on the conspiratorial idea that the pandemic was planned (it wasn’t) and illustrates a common misconception about COVID-19 variants. How Many COVID-19 Variants Are There? The CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been using the Greek alphabet to name new COVID-19 variants.

Source: New York Times January 05, 2022 20:31 UTC