The World Health Organisation on Tuesday said “Covid-19” would be the new official name for the deadly coronavirus that was first identified in China on December 31.
“We now have a name for the disease and it’s Covid-19,”
The World Health Organisation on Tuesday said “Covid-19” would be the new official name for the deadly coronavirus that was first identified in China on December 31.
“We now have a name for the disease and it’s Covid-19,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva, explaining that “co” stood for “corona”, “vi” for “virus” and “d” for “disease”.
Tedros said the name had been chosen to avoid references to a specific geographical location, animal species or group of people in line with international recommendations for naming in order to avoid stigmatisation.
The WHO had earlier given the virus the temporary name of “2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease” and China’s