The variant called "Omicron" so as not to offend Xi Jinping?

• For several days, a new variant of Covid-19 called “Omicron” has frightened the planet.

  The first cases are detected in Europe in the last few days.

• On social networks, the name of this variant is debated because the World Health Organization has ignored the letters Nu and Xi of the Greek alphabet.

• Several Internet users say that the WHO wished to spare the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

“Covidian anecdote: we went from the Nu variant to the Omicron variant whereas between these two letters of the Greek alphabet, there is the letter Xi.

Why did you skip a letter?

Because it was too reminiscent of Xi Jinping… ”says a user on Twitter.

Covidian anecdote: we went from the Nu variant to the Omicron variant while between these two letters of the Greek alphabet, there is the letter Xi.

Why did you skip a letter?

Because it reminded too much of Xi Jinping ...

- Benjamin Briand (@BrndBenjamin) November 27, 2021

Is the World Health Organization afraid to offend the leaders of the world powers in the nomenclature of the variants of Covid-19?

This is the theory that has been circulating for a few days on social networks.

Internet users have noticed that after Mu, the variants should logically have been baptized “Nu” then “Xi”.

Why has the WHO removed two letters from its alphabet? 

takes stock.

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In June, the World Health Organization, which is responsible for naming the variants of Covid-19, announced that the main variants would no longer bear the name of the geographical area in which they were discovered, in the aim to avoid any stigma.

Since then, it is by the letters of the Greek alphabet that they have been designated.

Following this logic, the last variant identified a few days ago in South Africa should have been called Nu - that's how the media had started to call it.

This was without counting on the decision of the WHO to jump two letters in the Greek alphabet.

For what reasons ?

"'Nu' is too easily confused with 'new'," said Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesperson on Saturday.

Indeed, the pronunciation of these two words is very similar in English.

As for the next letter, Xi, this choice was not made to avoid offending the sole person of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told our

colleagues on Saturday

 : “Xi was not used because it's a common last name.

He added that the organization's policy states that it is important to avoid "offending any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic group."

Regarding the second ousted letter, as announced by some Internet users: "The WHO has dismissed Nu to avoid any confusion with the word 'new'".

Indeed, the pronunciations of these two words are identical in English-speaking countries.

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Coronavirus LIVE: According to the WHO, the Omicron variant presents "a very high risk" at the global level ...

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