AP Photo/Andrew Harnik But in that case, you’d think they’d stick with the genetic code they’ve been using. For instance, B.1.1.7 is the so-called British variant. Why not just use “B.1.1.7” uniformly instead of “Alpha,” as they want to do now? The Greek letters are one more bit of inscrutable jargon for normies to learn. Also, there’s something useful in tying variants to their country of origin. Even those who are only casually following global COVID news know that India is enduring the most disastrous outbreak of the pandemic. To hear that the “Indian variant” has made inroads in the UK and is beginning to spread in the U.S. will make those casual news consumers sit up and keep taking precautions in high-risk situations. Telling them instead that the “Delta variant” has made inroads will register only with those who’ve gone to the trouble to learn which one the “Delta variant” is. Which won’t be many.