[alrex021]

Hilarious that they still label it as a country variant, as if the variant carries a genetic “country” code that determines the origin. Plain stupidity.

[Edit] To elaborate since there is so much negativity to my original comment. There is no absolute proof that the variant originated in South Africa, so calling it by a country’s name is an insult to human intelligence. We refer to the virus as the Coronavirus and not the Chinese virus. Why should the variant be any different? (This variant being actually called 501.V2)

[Ecco]

It's just convenient. What other naming scheme would you suggest?

[alrex021]

Do you refer to SARS-CoV-2 as the Chinese virus?

The actual name for the variant in question is 501.V2.

[merpnderp]

Why humor them? Their "Plain stupidity" comment without offering anything resembling reason shows they will not respond to reason. Don't encourage the Twitterification of Hacker News.

[blendergeek]

The WHO generally recommends against naming diseases after countries or regions. Its why we say 'Covid-19' and not 'Wuhan Corona Virus'.

[jdavis703]

Use the evolutionary lineage nomenclature. If people can memorize street addresses and telephone numbers they can learn to identify viruses by some other pattern.

The other problem with naming a variant after a country or state is what happens when the locale identifies a subsequent variant?

[abacadaba]

name after dinosaurs

[vernie]

Yea, like is 20H/501Y.V2 or B.1.1.7 that hard to remember?

[aww_dang]

Of course you have a point. There is hypocrisy. Unfortunately it is difficult to express this without flames. Political polarity also plays a role.

[eplanit]

And note that it's not racist to name a variant by where it is found, but it is racist and xenophobic to name the original form similarly.

[jdavis703]

This needs a citation or more detailed explanation for why it’s not problematic.

[vmception]

Does that literally ever happen?

The citationable things come later because a student decided to write a paper for their race studies class, which is just as meta as us just telling you what our experience is.

These things aren't science, but maybe someone can articulate it better for you.

[da_big_ghey]

If I am refer to "British variant", no person is thinking I am racist against Englishmen. If I am refer to "Chinese virus", every person is thinking I am racist against Chinamen. But it is not "Asian coronavirus", that would be having more credible potential for racism. Persons who are using term in racist way are symptom, not problem: even while we are seeing use of alternate terms in all places, there still has been in past year increasing of hate crime against Asian. Neither terming has problem, British nor Chinese. It is a simple easy. Common man is not having any desire for to remember scientific names for any thing. And in last point, some persons are say that it create stigma against China: this is feature, not bug. China is deserving much fault for her failings in this manner.

[zzzeek]

agree, do all the downmodders here find it interesting that "the Spanish Flu" originated in Kansas? The variants have alphanumeric names such as B.1.1.7.

[romanovcode]

You can label it as a country variant unless that country is China.