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How virus variants get their confusing names and how to make them better
Right now we re stuck with jumbles of letters and numbers, or country names that stigmatize people from that region. Experts have a plan to fix that.
ByAmy McKeever
Email
Coronavirus variant names are strange and complicated. Sure, B.1.1.7 or P.1 might be perfectly fine names when virologists and microbiologists need to keep track of them but they’re not so useful for the public trying to make sense of the variants driving new COVID-19 surges.
Take it from Salim Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist and former chair of South Africa’s COVID-19 advisory committee. He helped name the variant that was first discovered in the country: 501Y.V2, which, confusingly, is also known as B.1.351 and 20H/501Y.V2.
How virus variants get their confusing names—and how to make them better nationalgeographic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalgeographic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.