The WHO skipped the two letters of the alphabet in the coronavirus version of Omicron. In particular, the omission of the letter ksi already provokes a wave of conspiracies – REFRESHER

A new mutation in the virus causing the covid-19 disease has appeared on the scene. Why is the new variant called omikron? Health Organization (WHO) proceeds when naming virus variants according to the Greek alphabet.

Delta, currently the most represented variant in our region, is named after the 4th letter in order. He followed the alpha, beta and game. Diary New Post informs that the WHO originally planned to mark it or a letter for a possible next variant. She finally skipped both letters.

Omicron is spreading from South Africa at a dangerous speed and its occurrence is already being recorded in Europe. Many countries are introducing new measures and travel bans with immediate effect to stop the gradual spread.

As the WHO officially recognized the new mutation, many media outlets began using the name nu (Greek transcription of it). New Post it is assumed that it was not used in the end, as it often represents the adjective “new”. For all, let’s mention the music genres nu jazz or nu metal.

There is more uncertainty about the designation of ksi. Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz shared a tweet about the fear of stigmatizing the Chinese region. He developed his controversy: “If the WHO is so afraid of the Chinese Communist Party, how can we rely on them if they try to cover another catastrophic global pandemic in the future?”

Ben Zimmer of the Wall Street Journal’s choice to label omikron, by contrast, acknowledges.

Kudos to the WHO for skipping over the potentially confusing Nu and Xi names and going straight to Omicron. https://t.co/fa4q66VOjL https://t.co/9w5f4yIU8p

– Ben Zimmer (@bgzimmer) November 26, 2021

In Slovakia, where a nationwide lockdown applies from Thursday, we do not yet register the omikron variant.