Covid-19 should be redefined due to mutations, expert claims

It feels like it has been five or six years since the Covid-19 pandemic started but in reality, it’s only been three years. Like with any virus, it has mutated many times. However, Covid-19 has mutated so many times that an expert believes the virus should be renamed.

Renaming Covid-19

China is currently experiencing another wave of Covid-19. Since the virus has mutated so many times, Gu Xiaohong, who is an expert on Chinese medicine, told Beijing Daily that the virus should simply be described as an infectious virus now, as reported by Reuters.

Currently, Covid-19 is described as an ‘infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.’

Gu Xiaohong also added that the China Association of Chinese Medicine's infectious disease arm had reached an agreement to change the way they describe the coronavirus that has been plaguing the world for the last three years.

Returning to normal?

If Covid-19 is renamed, could this be a sign that the world is finally returning to ‘normal’ after a three-year pandemic?

China has changed its approach when it comes to Covid-19, allowing mild cases to be treated at home instead of in specialised facilities. On Monday, December 5, the official Xinhua news agency announced that the ‘most difficult period has passed’.

Relaxed rules in China

China has slowly been softening its strict Covid-19 restriction, especially after people started heavily protesting against their zero-Covid strategy.

As mentioned above, those who have tested positive for the virus but display mild or no symptoms can stay at home. Moreover, most venues are no longer requiring the population to show tests and people can travel more freely throughout the country.

Read more: Xi Jinping: From resignation calls to attending meetings without a mask, here's what's going on with the leader

Sources used:

BBC: 'China abandons key parts of zero-Covid strategy after protests'

Reuters: 'China medical expert says COVID has mutated, should be renamed - state media'