The World Health Organization (WHO) has renamed B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 variants of the Covid-19, first identified in India as 'Kappa & Delta'. The WHO has also named various variants of the coronavirus using Greek alphabets (alpha, beta, gamma, delta etc) to simplify public discussions and also help remove stigma from the names. The UN health agency named the B.1.617.1 variant of the COVID 19 as 'Kappa' while the B1.617.2 variant was dubbed 'Delta.' Taking to Twitter, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical Covid-19 lead, wrote: "Today, @WHO announces new, easy-to-say labels for #SARSCoV2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) & Interest (VOIs). They will not replace existing scientific names, but are aimed to help in public discussion of VOI/VOC".

Source: Mint June 05, 2021 10:40 UTC