Covid mutations are not new to the world. There are different mutations; but today a shocking report came, it was claimed by The Daily Mail of Britain which published news over the new variant of coronavirus claiming “Nepal” variant, entitled, ‘Nepal variant’ threat to our holidays: Ministers fear new strain of Covid hitting Europe could scupper getaway plan as [the] government is set to update its ‘green list’ of ‘safe’ countries for tourists TODAY. The paper claims that “Scientists have alerted ministers to the mutant strain – thought to have originated in Nepal – which has apparently spread to Europe. They fear the strain is resistant to vaccines.”
To begin, a mutant resistant to vaccine means more coronavirus cases and more deaths. With the serious declares, the Daily Mail creates ‘panic’ over the people of the U.K, Nepal, and all over the world. The hard-hitting fact is that the World Health Organization and other Institutions have not announced the new variant yet. Although the news about the hybrid “Vietnam” variant is circulating globally – which is more contagious, it is yet official.
Furthermore, the Sun has also reported following this issue. Title appears as Foreign holidays ‘at risk from Nepal variant’ as new strain spreads to Europe amid fears it could ‘fight off vaccines,’ the article provokes the people of Britain to stay inside their home because of the new variant. Moreover, it talks about the threat to foreign trips amid holidays. It says Portugal has detected the Nepali mutation, and it can lose the UK’s travel Green status – which means Brits can not enjoy their trips in that country.
WHO Guidelines: Can’t Label Variant with Country’s Name
WHO has changed the guidelines for naming coronavirus variations. Previously, it was named after the Country. However, India’s Modi-led government decided to sack news and media houses if they repeatedly call the “Indian” variant to B.1.617.2 – now Delta, WHO’s perception changed.
According to the Conversation, “This is an important step. Using geographical names can stoke up racism and xenophobia. It also potentially disincentivizes countries from hunting for new variants, as finding them may hurt their national image, as India has found with the B1617 variants. There’s also no guarantee these geographical names are accurate either, as variants can easily spread before being discovered.” The stigma of generalizing few countries with viruses will be stopped after this initiation.
Talking about labels, the habit of naming a disease with a country relates to the past. For instance, for influenza – which was spread in America during the 1920s, we refer to it as the “Spanish Flu.” The H1N1 virus was notorious for being “Spanish” despite not being spread in Spain – and from Spain.
Variant Debates May ‘Destroy’ Nepal-U.K. Relations
After the approach of the deadly second wave of coronavirus in Nepal, like other countries, the U.K. has also sent life-saving equipment. According to the government, “the UK has sent 260 ventilators and 2,000 pieces of personal protective equipment, along with health experts, to Nepal to help the country’s fight against COVID-19.” The official website of the U.K. government says, a flight departed from RAF Brize Norton today (Thursday 27 May), transporting the ventilators, which have been sourced from surplus UK stocks to Kathmandu.
Nepal-U.K. relationship is one of the oldest relationships in the world. Formally establishing in 1816, the two countries have shared numerous things. The British Army has a Brigade of Gurkhas – which conducts yearly recruitment services to give opportunities for Nepali youngs. Through UK Aid, a £55.3M budget is allocated for the development of Nepal.
Further, over 60 thousand British nationals have visited Nepal each year since 2018. The United Kingdom is one of the most popular destinations for Nepali students for higher education. Many Nepali people are residing in Britain as permanent residents.
The cooperation between the two countries is healthy. But after the news circulating about the “Nepal” variant, it might create some serious misunderstanding without proof. To put a case, Indian media repeatedly called coronavirus a China virus/Wuhan virus – which sparked serious debates and partially “destroyed” the relationship between the two countries.
Lastly, the media houses should not stigmatize one country’s name over a virus as a publicity stunt; they should follow the guidelines of WHO. It might ultimately help everyone.
WHO refuted the claims of the British newspapers.
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