Also Read: Many countries bar foreigners, delay reopening amid Omicron fears People tried to draw conclusions behind WHO's decision for choosing Omicron.
One of the reasons was to avoid confusion and stigmatisation of a particular region. Nu sounds similar to ‘new’, which could lead to confusion, whereas Xi is part of the name of Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Many called the new variant Nu but later corrected themselves after WHO confirmed that the latest variant is called Omicron.
Paul Nuki, a senior journalist working with The Telegraph quoted WHO sources confirming this reason. “A WHO source confirmed the letters Nu and Xi of the Greek alphabet had been deliberately avoided.