Anchor: The World Health Organization(WHO) has finally designated a name for the coronavirus that originated in China. The WHO said it chose the name COVID-19 to avoid references to a specific location, animal species or group of people. 
Park Jong-hong has the details.

Report: The World Health Organization(WHO) has announced that "COVID-19" will now be the official name of the deadly novel coronavirus from China.

In Geneva on Tuesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained to journalists what the name stood for.

[Sound bite: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus - World Health Organization Director-General (English)]
"First of all, we now have a name for the disease and it is Covid-19 and I will spell it - 'c o v i d hypen one nine'. 'Co' stands 'corona' as you know, 'vi' stands for 'virus', 'd' for 'disease'." 

Meanwhile, the number "19" is for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31st, 2019.

Based on the guidelines observed by other international bodies, the WHO chief said the name had been chosen to avoid references so as to prevent stigmatization.

[Sound bite: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus - World Health Organization Director-General (English)]
"We have to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease. Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatising. It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks."

Referring to some governments' counterterrorism measures, Ghebreyesus said a virus is more powerful in creating political, economic and social upheaval than any terrorist attack.

[Sound bite: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus - World Health Organization Director-General (English)]
"This outbreak is testing us in many ways. It's a test of political solidarity – whether the world can come together to fight a common enemy that does not respect borders or ideologies. It's a test of financial solidarity – whether the world will invest now in fighting this outbreak or pay more later to deal with its consequences. And it's a test of scientific solidarity – will the world come together to find shared answers to shared problems?"  

The agency has appealed for the sharing of virus samples and expediting research into drugs and vaccines. The WHO chief said the first vaccine could be ready in 18 months. 

He stressed that every effort has to be made using the available weapons to fight this virus while preparing for the long term using the preparations for vaccines.

While the disease represented a "very grave threat" for the world, he said there was a "realistic chance" of stopping it.

As of Tuesday, over 25 countries have confirmed cases of COVID-19 and several nations, including South Korea, have evacuated their citizens from Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicenter of the outbreak.
Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.