MHF Democrat Primary Poll

[Montegriffo]

does anyone know why its called coronavirus

The virus has a halo or "crown" of receptors around the main body, corona is Latin for crown

Characteristic of zoonotic pathogens, those being ones transmitted between animals

neat. thanks

Strictly speaking, it is not called coronavirus.

It has infected thousands of people, closed borders and put parts of China into lockdown. But the virus causing the outbreak of illness does not yet have a proper name.

It has been referred to as the coronavirus. But that is the name of the group of viruses it belongs to.

It has also been given the temporary title 2019-nCoV. But just saying that is a mouthful.

A group of scientists has been grappling behind closed doors to find a proper term. Now they have told the BBC they are close to announcing it.

So why has it taken so long?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the temporary name 2019-nCoV, which includes the year it was discovered, "n" to denote new or novel, and "CoV" for coronavirus. But it has not exactly stuck.

"The name it has now is not easy to use and the media and the public are using other names for the virus," says Dr Watson.

"The danger when you don't have an official name is that people start using terms like China Virus, and that can create a backlash against certain populations."

With social media, unofficial names take hold quickly and are hard to take back, she says.
The urgent task of formally naming the virus is the responsibility of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).

Previous outbreaks provide cautionary tales for the team. The H1N1 virus in 2009 was dubbed "swine flu". This led Egypt to slaughter all of its pigs, even though it was spread by people, not pigs.

Official names can also prove problematic. The WHO criticised the name Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) in 2015.

"We've seen certain disease names provoke a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities, create unjustified barriers to travel, commerce and trade, and trigger needless slaughtering of food animals," it said in a statement.

As a result, it issued guidelines. According to these, the name for the new coronavirus should not include:

Geographical locations
People's names
The name of an animal or a kind of food
References to a particular culture or industry

It says the name should be short and descriptive - such as Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

But for the name to stick it also needs a hook, says Benjamin Neuman, a professor of virology who, along with 10 other people, sits on the ICTV study group that has been deliberating the new name.

"It has to roll off the tongue a little faster than the other names out there."

The team began discussing a name about two weeks ago and took two days to settle on one, says Prof Neuman, who is chair of Biological Sciences at Texas A&M University-Texarkana in the US.They are now submitting the name to a scientific journal for publication and hope to announce it within days.

As well as helping the public understand the virus, the ICTV hopes it will allow researchers to focus on fighting it by saving time and confusion.

"We will find out in the future whether we got it right," says Prof Neuman.

"For someone like me, helping to name an important virus may ultimately end up being longer-lasting and more helpful than a career's worth of work. It's a big responsibility."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51371770

[Speaker to Animals]

It's actual name is 2019 nCoV.

Darwin in effect.

[heydaralon]

Bite my tongue, bide my time
Wearing a warning mask
Wait 'til the virus mine
empty Apple Stores were vandalize
Corona in my kingdom size
Fell for these batty stew eyes
You should see me in a crown
Sick in this Wuhan town
Watch respiratory failure make 'em bow
One by one by, one
One by one by
You should see me in a crown
Mandarin is my favorite sound
We eat dogs but never cow
One by one by, one
One by one by (one)
Laundromats, watch them fall
Blood on a Wal Mart wall

[Speaker to Animals]

We eat dogs but never cow

[pineapplemike]

tl;dr

[Montegriffo]

It's actual name is 2019 nCoV.

Darwin in effect.

Nope, just been officially named COVID-19.

[StCapps]

Well Biden is totally done.

Leave it to Biden to be the guy with the biggest choke in primary history, it's impressive how well he managed to fuck this up without ever really doing anything, with competition this weak, that's next level.

[Haumana]

Well Biden is totally done.

Leave it to Biden to be the guy with the biggest choke in primary history, it's impressive how well he managed to fuck this up without ever really doing anything, that's next level.

South Carolina, FTW!

Joe was just needed long enough to make impeachment a thing. He is truly disposable now. Political rival.... now that's a hoot.

[StCapps]

Well Biden is totally done.

Leave it to Biden to be the guy with the biggest choke in primary history, it's impressive how well he managed to fuck this up without ever really doing anything, that's next level.

South Carolina, FTW!

Joe was just needed long enough to make impeachment a thing. He is truly disposable now. Political rival.... now that's a hoot.

At this point, he'd be lucky to win South Carolina. Epic choke.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Butt Gig appears to be (((the backup plan)))