WHO Names New Variant 'Omicron'... Is Xi Jinping Being Considered?

Coronavirus 19 virus electron microscope image
[Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), USA]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The World Health Organization (WHO) named the new COVID-19 variant "Omicron (ο)," sparking speculation that it avoided using the same name as Chinese President Xi Jinping's surname.

On the 26th (local time), WHO classified the 'B.1.1.529' variant, first identified in South Africa, as a "variant of concern" and designated its name as Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Initially, experts predicted the new variant would be named "Nu (ν)," the 13th letter of the Greek alphabet. This was because WHO had named coronavirus variants in the order of the Greek alphabet and had already designated the 12th letter, "Mu (μ)," as a variant.

However, contrary to expectations, WHO skipped both Nu and the next letter "Xi (ξ)" and chose Omicron, the 15th letter, as the new name.

This break from convention by WHO in naming the new variant Omicron has led to various speculations about the reasoning behind it.

First, it is speculated that Nu was excluded to avoid confusion with the English word "new," as they sound almost identical. This was likely to prevent the situation where English speakers might interpret it as "new variant variant."

Xi is similar. The English spelling of Xi is "xi." In English-speaking countries, when referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping, only his surname "Xi" is used, coincidentally matching the spelling.

Therefore, it is speculated that WHO found it burdensome to use a variant name spelled the same as President Xi's surname. If designated as Xi, the variant would be called the "xi variant" in English, which could evoke associations with "Xi Jinping variant."

Regarding this, Paul Nuki, senior editor of the British daily The Telegraph, cited sources on Twitter saying, "It has been confirmed that Nu and Xi were deliberately skipped."

He also added, "Xi was avoided to prevent stigmatizing a specific region" and "All pandemics are inherently political."

U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz criticized, "If WHO fears the Chinese Communist Party this much, how can we trust WHO when China tries to conceal deadly epidemics?"

Meanwhile, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris explained, as reported by the New York Post, that "Nu could be confused with 'new variant,'" and "following naming rules to avoid using place names, people's names, or animals to prevent stigmatization, the common surname 'Xi' was not used."