World Health Organization WHO has named the disease caused by the 2019-nCoV virus. The name of the disease is COVID-19, the WHO reports on Tuesday Twitter.
The WHO has established the name together with the World Organization for Animal Health (abbreviated to OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (abbreviated to FAO).
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the WHO says that a name had to be devised that does not refer to a specific geographical location, an animal or a group of people.
The name also had to be easy to pronounce. According to Tedros, giving a name is important because it prevents the use of other, incorrect names that may be inaccurate or stigmatizing.
Virus has claimed more than a thousand fatalities
Meanwhile, more than 40,000 people worldwide have been infected with 2019-nCoV. At least 1,018 people have died from the effects of the virus. The virus was discovered in the Chinese province of Hubei.
The United Nations has set up a crisis management team. This team ensures that the WHO can fully focus on preventing the virus from spreading. The organization calls the virus outbreak a major threat to humanity.
Improvement: In the previous version of this article it was reported that the corona virus itself had been given the name COVID-19. However, it is the name of the disease that causes the corona virus and not the virus itself.
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