The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently considering the nomenclature of variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Indeed, if the variants exhaust all the letters of the Greek alphabet, another solution will have to be found. It is particularly a question of choosing names of constellations. Apart from being a rather strange idea, star specialists would be against it.
At the start of 2021, the question of how to name variants of the current coronavirus had appeared. At the time, the first variants took the name of their region of origin:"English", "Brazilian", "Indian" or even "South African". Nevertheless, these names were both stigmatizing and quite meaningless . On June 1, 2021, the WHO decided to propose a new nomenclature based on the Greek alphabet. Thus, we began to hear about "alpha" variants or "delta" variants, words that were always more comfortable than the often difficult to pronounce scientific names.
Only here, if the new nomenclature is undoubtedly something positive, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is experiencing a number of mutations. Some are worrisome and some are not. The entry of a variant in the nomenclature is done in case of concern for public health. The latest variant is none other than Mu – the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet. But what if we had to face a lack of letters Greek?
The answer to this problem can be found in an article published by The Telegraph August 7, 2021, reporting an interview with epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove in charge of Covid-19 surveillance for the WHO. The person concerned explained that today, the organization was reflecting on this question, which is not trivial. A change in nomenclature could indeed occur, but it would first be necessary that the 24 Greek letters are already taken by worrying variants. This may seem like a lot, but nothing is impossible.
Maria Van Kerkhove indicated that the idea of naming future variants with names of Greek gods and goddesses had been mentioned. Nevertheless, this one was quickly described as strange. Since then, another idea has caught on:constellation names. This would avoid stigmatizing a group of people or a place. The risk of saturation would also be reduced. Indeed, our sky is divided into 88 constellations since the work of the astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930.
Unfortunately, this last idea doesn't really appeal to astronomers . Notably, French astrophysicist Eric Lagadec posted a tweet on September 2, saying it was not good news. It must be said that the terminologies specific to the medical world and that of astronomy are not really compatible. According to observers, it is about an association of ideas that could generate a negative connotation in the names of the constellations. In other cases, this same association may not express the full severity of a variant. Thus, the WHO should find another more neutral and logical idea waiting for all the Greek letters to run out as variants appear.
