Novel coronavirus disease has an official name: Covid-19

The disease caused by the novel coronavirus, thus far known as 2019-nCoV, now has an official name: Covid-19. In an announcement yesterday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the “Co” and “Vi” indicate that it’s a coronavirus, the “d” signifies its status as a disease, while the “19” refers to the fact that the infection emerged in 2019. “Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing,” Tedros said. “It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.” The latest figures show that there are more than 45,000 cases of Covid-19, and 1,116 have died as a result. The disease still has the potential to turn into a pandemic, said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci. Read more in a pandemic explainer from STAT’s Helen Branswell here.