@shavixmir saidI think the connotations of each are different. Because the virus first emerged in China (we think), it is the intention of many people who use the phrase "the Chinese virus" to blame China for the pandemic. I don't think the same is true when people say "the South African variant" or "the Brazilian variant" - one gets the impression that this is a simple a way to differentiate between the variants.
There’s a British, a South African and possibly a Brazilian (shaved?) version of Covid-19 sweeping many countries.
Are these terms equally racist as “The Chinese virus”?
Many people blame China for the virus's emergence there. I don't think anyone blames Brazil, Britain or South Africa. I think that says something about people's biases.
The post that was quoted here has been removedThe reason it wasn’t called the US or Canadian flu, is because most countries in 1917/1918 banned it from being mentioned to not demoralize the troops fighting in the war.
Spain did report on it and the name stuck.
There is an international team in Wuhan, as we speak (I wonder if they’re called the Wuhan Clan), who in one week (after quuarantine) will conduct two weeks of research, together with Chinese viroligists to discover, where the virus started, etc.
They can see by certain things (I presume something in the RNA, but I was only paying half attention) how original the strain is, and everything does point towards the Wuhan area. Chinese experts concur. The Chinese government is... well... the Chinese government and would prefer to blame anyone else. As they do in their propaganda.
Luckily their scientists are more knowledge driven and have convinced the government that this research is needed to see if information can be found to stop it happening again, wherever it pops its ugly crowned head.
@ashiitaka saidSo it’s not the term “The Chinese virus” which makes it racist, it’s how it is used? Or who uses it?
I think the connotations of each are different. Because the virus first emerged in China (we think), it is the intention of many people who use the phrase "the Chinese virus" to blame China for the pandemic. I don't think the same is true when people say "the South African variant" or "the Brazilian variant" - one gets the impression that this is a simple a way to different ...[text shortened]... nk anyone blames Brazil, Britain or South Africa. I think that says something about people's biases.
I.e. there is nothing inherently racist to the statement, it depends on context?
The post that was quoted here has been removedI don’t ignore what you are saying.
However, the general consensus (by Chinese and international experts) is that it originated near Wuhan.
It’s a WHO based group doing the research there, with an international team, including Chinese experts.
That antibodies were found in blood samples from September 2019 in Lombardie does say nothing about origination.
As pointed out by scientists, there are multiple reasons this could be. One of them being that other countries have not rechecked blood samples from before the pandemic.
There is every probability that Covid-19 was circulating through the world’s population long before it was discovered in December 2019.
As I stated, you can see in a virus if it’s mutated from A or not.
And everything at the moment is pointing towards A being the Wuhan region.
They’re not out there doing the research because they have no clue as to what they’re doing.
https://apnews.com/article/who-looking-wuhan-coronavirus-origin-fb791cfdbad2f7db643f790ae4cccc8c
@ashiitaka saidI didn’t even think about how they should be named.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/uk-variant-covid-b117/2021/01/16/b559d11a-5739-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html
I just stumbled upon this article. It covers most of what has been written in this thread.
Obviously B117 is madness. At least call it B007...
It’s fine and dandy calling Corona Sars-Cov-2 or Covid-19.
But when you get down to mutations, how many will be recognisable with .3a or what-not added to it.
I personally have no problem naming things after places. But as you said, context is everything and if people are adding value to the name, then a better system has to be used.
I reckon I would go with dates.
So, you’d have
Covid-19 (original strain)
Covid-19.20-11 (UK variant)
Covid-19.20-11.1 (South African variant)
Covid-19.21-01 (a new variant to be found this month, as an example).
Then at least, if not origin, time-line is there for all to see.