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Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

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Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#21

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

What is the problem with Xi? Perhaps there is a second meaning I don't know?

[deleted]

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#23

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

Nu means naked in Portuguese (and Spanish I think?) Maybe they wanted to avoid all the lazy puns. A pretty significant part of the world speaks either of those two languages.

Futurama fans are going to have fun with this one and the Omicron Persei invasion.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#24

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

What is the problem with Xi? Perhaps there is a second meaning I don't know?

Xi Jinping is the current leader of China.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#25

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

Nu means naked in Portuguese (and Spanish I think?) Maybe they wanted to avoid all the lazy puns. A pretty significant part of the world speaks either of those two languages.

[deleted]

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#26

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

What is the problem with Xi? Perhaps there is a second meaning I don't know?

[deleted]

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#27

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

The Greek letter Xi is pronounced very differently than the pinyin Xi

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#28
post #27

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

The Greek letter Xi is pronounced very differently than the pinyin Xi

This is true and doesn't really matter, for the optics.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#29

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

Nu means naked in Portuguese (and Spanish I think?) Maybe they wanted to avoid all the lazy puns. A pretty significant part of the world speaks either of those two languages.

It would probably be reported as Ni or Ny in Spanish: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfabeto_griego#Letras

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#30

Interesting choice to pick "Omicron" instead of "Nu," which news outlets had been expecting them to use. Perhaps this allows them to avoid having to use "Xi" as the name of a Covid variant, which would have been...inconvenient for the WHO.

I think they realised that “Nu” was too similar to “New” that if/when the next variant came around, there would be confusion as to what someone means when they speak the words “New variant”
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