A version of this story appeared in the June 1 edition of CNN's Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. For example, instead of the "UK variant" (B.1.1.7), the WHO will now say "Alpha;" the "South African variant" (B.1.351) is now "Beta;" and the P.1 variant, first detected in Brazil, has been labeled "Gamma," CNN's Jacqueline Howard reports. Many Asian Americans subsequently said they were blamed for bringing the coronavirus to the United States. The WHO says the Greek alphabet letters "will be easier and more practical to [be] discussed by non-scientific audiences." The new names could make describing the variants even more complicated as there will now be three potential names: a scientific name, references based on where a strain was first identified and WHO's Greek alphabet labeling.

Source: CNN June 01, 2021 12:00 UTC