alpha beta gamma delta epsilon
zeta eta theta
iota kappa lambda mu nu
xi omicron pi
rho sigma tau upsilon
phi chi psi omega
This is the first thing you learn in Greek 101, the alphabet. You've got it down when you can say it from memory after lighting a match and you don't burn your fingers, which you will need to write all the funny letters.
Looks like WHO needs to retake the course, however.
This new South African variant, B.1.1.529, will be very confusing since almost a year ago there was a South African variant everyone got hysterical about but it didn't take over the world. The India variant did instead.
That South African variant (B.1.351), was beta, retroactively so designated at the end of May 2021 with all the variants, which is probably why no one remembers it.
The UK variant (B.1.1.7), dominant in the US in April, May, and June, is alpha.
The gamma variant (P.1), from Brazil, never amounted to much in the US, though that was fear-mongered, too.
The India variant (B.1.617.2) is delta, dominant in the US from July 1.
Epsilon covers variants from California, B.1.427/B.1.429.
Zeta is another Brazilian one, P.2.
Eta and iota cover variants from New York, B.1.526/B.1.525.
Theta was first detected in the Philippines, P.3.
Kappa's another one from India, B.1.617.1, as is B.1.617.3, which oddly hasn't its own Greek letter designation even though it's on radars.
Lambda is from Peru, C. 37.
Mu variants come from Colombia, B.1.621/B.1.621.1.
The WHO made the announcement about the B.1.1.529 variant out of Johannesburg, South Africa, passing over a letter many observers presumed would be next — “Nu” — as well as the subsequent letter, “Xi,” which composes part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping‘s name.