The new pneumonia-causing virus needs a name. It may be tricky

The WHO yesterday delayed deciding whether the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that originated in China is a global health emergency, but did say it would appoint a committee to name the new virus. As the virus continues to spread rapidly — more than 600 people are now ill, and 17 have died — it still doesn’t have an official name. “Wuhan SARS” and “Wu Flu” are circulating on the internet, but the WHO discourages naming a disease after a place, as the association can be stigmatizing. Some are using “2019-nCoV,” but that “is a bit like calling a daughter ‘the girl born in 2019,’” says STAT’s Helen Branswell. Naming rights usually go to the scientists who isolate the strain, and their suggestion is considered by an international committee. But that committee isn’t scheduled to meet until May, which may be too late a timeframe for the current outbreak.