The world needs a single naming system for coronavirus variants

Geographic associations risk stigma. Researchers must quickly agree on a more meaningful and universal nomenclature. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a meeting at which, among other things, experts discussed guidelines for naming variants of the coronavirus. The need is urgent, because there’s no agreed naming system. Until one can be established, researchers are developing their own nomenclature. At the same time, media organizations and policymakers around the world are filling the void by naming coronavirus variants according to the places where the first cases were identified. Such a practice is understandable in the middle of a pandemic, when new data are continually emerging and need to be communicated quickly. But connecting viruses to identifiable places also carries dangers, one of which is the risk of stigmatizing people (see Nature 580, 165; 2020). The absence of an agreed system also prevents consistency in naming, which is a hindrance...