Naming A Variant

(SARS-COV-2 variant nomenclature)

Why do Corona viruses mutate so frequently ?

Viruses can have either DNA or RNA at its core.

DNAs are double stranded columns like a ladder with cross bridges interlocking  each part of the both the strands tightly. DNAs which carry our genetic information for the future generations is one of the stablest memory chip that we know. Comparatively single strands in the RNAs are primitive and can mutate very frequently. ( pic)

Variants ( VOI, VOC)

Following a mutation, the new changes in the virus can be insignificant ( non sense mutation) or it can make the new virus more infective, more lethal or both.

All these changed viruses can be detected by Genome sequencing. Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortium( INSACOG) divides these new variants into two groups: VOI ( Variants of Importance) and VOC ( Variants of Concern). A VOC can increase the infectivity or fatalities among the masses.

VOCs can change the course of the pandemic. WHO has recently started naming them. Here is the convention.

Rules

The proposed name should be neutral to 

• Politics and political figures 
• Religious believes, 
• Cultures 
• Gender and
• last but not the least should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe.

“WHO” has adopted the Greek alphabets for naming all the SARS-COV2 variants.( VOCs)

Accordingly the first four alphabets have been claimed by the following variants- 

( Country where first detected); ( Date of Naming) in that order.

( Epsilon is now in VOI stage. It will be named when it moves to VOC stage.)

26 November 2021
The Covid-19 variant that emerged in South Africa in November 2021 was named after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.

( The variant that emerged in India is B.1.617.2 and is known as Delta, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.)

W.H.O. also skipped two letters just before Omicron — “Nu” and “Xi”

‘Nu’ is too easily confounded with ‘new,’” a W.H.O. spokesman said on Saturday, “And ‘Xi’ was not used because it is a common last name.”

“Whether “Xi” was avoided in deference to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping ?”

So we have total 7 VOCs till date.

Alpha, Beta and Gamma, Delta, Lambda, Mu and Omicron.

Name of a place is either stigmatizing or misleading.

For example, Spanish Flu never arose in Spain and Ebola is Name of a river in Africa.

Others variants do not make the grade

The speed at which this virus is mutating, soon WHO will run out of alphabets.