Omicron: What could future Covid variants be called? Why were Nu and Xi skipped? Here's the letters left in the Greek alphabet and the names used so far for variants
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Almost 250 cases have been found in the UK so far – while it has also been identified in countries around Europe and the world.
It is the latest variant to take its name from the Greek alphabet.
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Hide AdThe Kent strain, which was identified in England in December last year and prompted the strict Tier 4 measures in Portsmouth for Christmas, was the first variant to be named by WHO.
It was given the name Alpha – based on the first letter of the Greek alphabet.
Other variants of concern have been identified and called: Beta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, Mu and now Omicron.
The WHO has skipped over two letters in the Greek alphabet – Nu and Xi, with the former being avoided because it sounded too much like new and the later because it is a 'common’ surname. It is also the last name of the current Chinese president.
But what could future variants be called?
Here are the remaining letters in the Greek alphabet:
- Pi
- Rho
- Sigma
- Tau
- Upsilon
- Phi
- Chi
- Psi
- Omega
A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron
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