Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 11, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday gave the official name for the latest novel coronavirus as being COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease starting in 2019. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

 
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday gave the official name for the latest novel coronavirus as being Covid-19, which stands for coronavirus disease starting in 2019.

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 11, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday gave the official name for the latest novel coronavirus as being COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease starting in 2019. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

 
According to the WHO, the naming of the virus should avoid any stigmatizing by not referring it to any specific geographic locations, animal, individuals' names, species of animal, culture, population, industry or occupation.