WHO Designates Two Indian Origin COVID Variant as Kappa and Delta

On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 variants of the Covid-19, which were detected in India, as 'Kappa' and 'Delta,' respectively, as previous variants of the coronavirus were called using Greek alphabets.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical Covid-19 lead, on Monday tweeted, "Today, @WHO announces new, easy-to-say labels for #SARSCoV2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) & Interest (VOIs). They will not replace existing scientific names, but are aimed to help in public discussion of VOI/VOC."

The UN health agency named the B.1.617.1 variant of the Covid 19 as 'Kappa' while the B1.617.2 variant was dubbed 'Delta.' Both the variants were first found in India. 

The WHO decision comes almost three weeks after India objected to media stories referring to the B.1.617 mutant of the new coronavirus as an "Indian Variant," with the Union Health Ministry pointing out that the UN's top health institution did not use the word "Indian" for this strain in its paper.

On May 12, the ministry slammed media reports that used the phrase "Indian variant" for the B.1.617 mutant strain, which the WHO recently named a "variant of global concern," saying they were "without any basis and unfounded." 

"Several media reports have covered the news of the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1.617 as a variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an 'Indian Variant'," the ministry said in a statement in New Delhi. 

"These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded," it said. 

The UN health agency said in a statement on Monday that an expert committee organised by WHO has advised labelling using Greek Alphabet letters, i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, which will be easier and more practical to discuss by non-scientific audiences. 

Scientists and researchers are presently and will continue to use GISAID, Nextstrain, and Pango's established nomenclature systems for designating and tracking SARS-CoV-2 genetic lineages, according to the report.

According to the WHO, the virus is being monitored by the WHO and its international networks of experts. 

"If significant mutations are identified, we can inform countries and the public about any changes needed to react to the variant, and prevent its spread," it added.

Globally, systems have been built and are being enhanced to identify and analyse signals of possible variations of concern (VOC) and interest (VOI) depending on the threat to global public health. It was also stated that national authorities may opt to designate other versions of local interest/concern.

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