Here is the latest news from the global pandemic.
Don’t let the strain take the train
German Chancellor Angela Merkel named it a British virus. In the UK, the variant is called Kent. Perhaps in the county of England where a new coronavirus strain has begun to spread, citizens of Royal Tunbridge Wells are referring to the Canterbury, Margate or Dover mutation.
No one likes to take the name of their country or community on a virus, especially one that is said to be even more contagious than the original version than the original version that has killed millions. Binding a place to a pathogen can be like scapegoating – or worse, racism.
Former President Donald Trump was famous for calling the virus that came out a little over a year ago a “Chinese virus.” This name fed a wave of xenophobia in the early days of the pandemic. China has opposed efforts to curb the origin of the virus.
The departure area at London Gatwick Airport.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
A proliferation of new changes, named by the places where they were marked, has contributed to this trend. First came the UK snoring; it was followed by versions marked on South Africa, Brazil and Kenya. There will definitely be others, because viruses go all the time.
Like the Spanish flu, which was not actually Spanish, we do not know for sure where the new coronavirus strains started. The UK may be deceived by the unfortunate distinction of having a killer bug named because of Britain’s knowledge in genome sequencing.
When UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new snort, the European Union largely closed its borders to the British and created a massive commodity reserve. The UK responded by playing up the dangers of the South African and Brazil leagues and cutting off travel from these and other countries.
Travel bans and other restrictions make sense if they prevent the spread of the virus. But some of the new variables have already spread widely outside the home countries they claim.
The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee last week urged the World Health Organization to develop a standard system for notifying new coronavirus mutations that avoid geographic symptoms. With the U.S. moving swiftly to reconnect with the group under President Joe Biden, now is a good time to seek more coordination and harmony in the world fight against the pandemic. Because names are important.—Eric Pfanner
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