I’ve always called the 2019 novel coronavirus either COVID-19 or just the coronavirus. I have heard numerous figures refer to it as the “Wuhan Virus.”
So, according to David Gura, host of Up on MSNBC, saying “Wuhan Virus” is racist.
Gura’s tweet (among many others who tweeted) was in response to U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., announcing he, along with three of his senior staff, were under self-quarantine after exposure to someone at CPAC who was hospitalized with COVID-19.
Really? I guess CNN must be racist as well.
If the virus’ point of origin was Paris some would call it the “Paris Virus.” Would that be racist as well?
Was calling the Spanish Flu the “Spanish Flu” some sort of slight against Spaniards?
No, no more than calling the West Nile Virus racist. The West Nile Virus was discovered in the West Nile region of Uganda in 1937.
These diseases must also be racist:
- Guinea Worm – a parasite discovered in the Guinea region in West Africa.
- German Measles aka Rubella
- Ross River Fever – What a slight to the residents of New South Wales, Australia!
- Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever – Residents of Omsk, Russia should complain.
- Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever – Named after the Ebola River in Zaire in 1976.
- Marburg Virus Disease – Named after Marburg, Germany in 1967.
- Lassa Fever – First identified in Lassa, Nigeria in 1969.
- La Crosse Encephalitis – Discovered in LaCrosse, Wisc. in 1963.
- St. Louis Encephalitis – First outbreak was in St. Louis, Mo. in 1933.
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Lyme Disease – named after a large outbreak in Lyme and Old Lyme, Ct. in the 1970.
Giving a disease a nickname based on the region it originated in is not racist. Even if the city is located in China.
This is just silly.