COVID-19: WHO renames coronavirus B.1.617.2 strain as ‘Delta variant’

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday renamed the B.1.617.2 variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India, as the ‘Delta variant’.

In a statement, the WHO said that it convened an expert group that recommended using easy-to-pronounce and non-stigmatizing labels for Variants of Interest (VOIs) and Variants of Concern (VOC).