not "Nu"

[Andy Burns]

With the broadcasters having jumped the gun and predicted the new variation would be named "Nu", both BBC and Times Radio have been calling it "Omnicron" instead of "Omicron"

[Tim+]

What happened to Epsilon etc?

Tim

[Andy Burns]

I think they were "variants of interest" which never became "variants of concern"

Sensibly, nu was skipped because it's a homophone of new Xi was skipped because China

[Bob Eager]

Sky call it 'Om-ick-ron'. I have always said 'Oh-mike-ron'.

[Andy Burns]

I have too, but apparently the short 'o' version is also valid.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Is not Omicron some operator in advanced math as well, I'm sure the lady astronaut read out her calculations with this term in there when they were getting ready to grab Hubble with the robot arm some years ago. Do we really care what its called anyway?

My feeling from what I've been listening to various reports is that its very little difference from the last one and may indeed be taking longer to infect cells, due to its many mutations. These after all are not calculated by some master brain somewhere, they are just the mistakes made during replication, and a lot are never seen as they actually cripple the virus. Brian

[newshound]

Then there is Oh-Mega and Oh-Meega

[Richard]

Not forgetting the Oh I'm so tired of all this.= antway. Should have just stuck with A, B, C ...Z then A1, B1, C1 ...Z1 A76 etc.

[Andy Burns]

Not noticeably to me.

It's important to have a name, less important what that name is, but being easy to pronounce helps.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but it seems it might be more contagious, yet milder for those that get it?

Anyway, I'm boostered, I can put-up with making fewer/bigger supermarket shops and wearing a mask. If, after a few weeks, there's a spike in cases but not admissions/deaths, then the mask mandate will either get dropped, or compliance will just go down anyway.

[Andy Burns]

So just stick with the catchy B.1.1.529

[Andy Burns]

So far this morning I've heard omnicron and omicront, admittedly some correct omicrons, whatever happened to the BBC pronunciation unit?

[newshound]

Next it will be the Omigod

[charles]

I suspect it was abolished.

[Ian Jackson]

Are you referring to the Pronunciation Unit about which, a couple of years ago, there was a Radio 4 programme - and, apart from one exception, everyone taking part pronounced 'pronunciation' as 'pronounciation'?

[brian]

In message [e-mail]>, Andy Burns [e-mail] writes

Nice to hear a much neglected letter of the Greek alphabet gets its spot in the limelight.

Brian

[Dave Plowman (News]

NewsNight Friday called it O-Micron. The presenter, and then again in the package.

You'd have thought a prog like that would have had someone around with a smattering of ancient greek?

Pointless Celebs, I could understand. ;-)

[Robin]

I suspect you are wrong as current editorial guidelines still mandate advice from it on UK names and places.

[Custos Custodum]

Somehow "Omnicron" seems appropriate, as it looks like we're going to be stuck with this virus for all time.

[Andrew]

Could have been O'micron to keep the Irish (un)happy ?

[Andrew]

Zulu ?