大家熟知的病毒毒株现在有奥密克戎，德尔塔，咱们一起来看看跟他们有关的英文吧~
奥密克戎的全名叫：新型冠状病毒奥密克戎变异株，首次发现于南非，英文为Omicron，中文译名为“奥密克戎”，英式发音和美式发音不同：英/əʊˈmaɪkrɒn/；美 /ˈɑːməkrɑːn/。与前代毒株 Delta（德尔塔）相比，Omicron（奥密克戎）毒株拥有更多的刺突蛋白突变，这就意味着这款毒株有更强的毒性、变异性和抗药性。
奥密克戎来自于希腊字母，“Omicron”正是上表中第十五个字母。世卫组织今年5月份发布了命名规则，将新冠病毒变种统一用希腊字母命名。
采用希腊字母命名有三个环环相扣的原因：
1. these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall
原先那些学术名称难说、难记。
2. …are prone to misreporting
难说难记的名称就容易被媒体误报。
3. As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing and discriminatory.
名称难说难记就容易让人用发现地来称呼这些病毒变种，这就会造成污名化和歧视。
关于XBB你需要知道的事情
THE new Omicron subvariant XBB has raised concerns about another potential wave of COVID-19 cases recently. At present, the prevalent viral strains in China are BA.5.2 and BF.7, but strains such as BQ.1 and XBB have been getting more prevalent in other countries.
新的Omicron亚变异体XBB引起了人们对最近另一波潜在的新冠肺炎病例的担忧。目前，中国流行的病毒株是BA.5.2和BF.7，但像BQ.1和XBB这样的毒株在其他国家越来越流行。
1. What is XBB? 什么是XBB？
A：According to Xu Wenbo, head of the viral disease institute of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, BQ.1 and XBB are Omicron subvariants and have become prevalent in some European and North American countries. The subvariants have an enhanced ability to spread and evade immunity.
据中国疾控中心病毒病所所长许文波介绍，BQ.1和XBB是奥密克戎亚变异株，已在一些欧洲和北美国家流行。亚变体具有增强的传播和逃避免疫的能力。
2. Is XBB more infectious? XBB是否更具感染性？
A：According to Xu, BQ.1 and XBB have no obvious difference in pathogenicity compared with other Omicron subvariants. The incidence rate of severe cases and mortality rate of BQ.1 and XBB have not increased in countries where the strains are prevalent.
许文波表示，与其他奥密克戎亚变异株相比，BQ.1和XBB在致病性方面没有明显差异。在菌株流行的国家，BQ.1和XBB的重症发病率和死亡率没有增加。
In the past three months, China has detected the imports of BF.7, BQ.1 and XBB. But BQ.1 and XBB have not become prevalent in the country. The predominant strains are still BA.5.2 and BF.7.
在过去三个月里，中国检测到BF.7、BQ.1和XBB的进口。但BQ.1和XBB尚未在该国流行。优势菌株仍然是BA.5.2和BF.7。
3. Is XBB being locally transmitted? XBB是否在本地传播？
A：According to Yuan Zheng’an, an expert from Shanghai’s epidemic prevention and control leading group, BQ.1 and XBB found in Shanghai were only detected in very few inbound travelers and have not caused locally transmitted cases at thecommunity level.
据上海市疫情防控领导小组专家袁正安介绍，上海发现的BQ.1和XBB仅在极少数入境旅客中检测到，并未在社区层面造成本地传播病例。
4. Can an individual who has recovered from COVID still get infected with XBB？ 从COVID中康复的个人是否仍能感染XBB？
A：Li Tongzeng, a respiratory and infectious disease specialist at Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, said that XBB has an enhanced ability to evade immunity, but is different from the country’s prevalent BA.5 strain.
首都医科大学北京佑安医院呼吸与传染病专家李侗曾表示，XBB具有增强的逃避免疫能力，但与该国流行的BA.5毒株不同。
After a person is infected with BA.5 for a period of time, he or she will face increased risk of reinfection when encountering a viral strain that has a stronger ability to escape immunity. But reinfection primarily occurs in people with weak immunity.
一个人感染BA.5一段时间后，当遇到逃避免疫能力更强的病毒株时，将面临再次感染的风险。但再次感染主要发生在免疫力较弱的人群中。
People with normal immunity are relatively unlikely to get infected again in a short time and will experience milder symptoms compared with the first infection.
免疫力正常的人相对不太可能在短时间内再次感染，与第一次感染相比，会出现更轻微的症状。
5. Will XBB cause diarrhea? XBB会导致腹泻吗？
A：Li said some COVID patients have symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, which will generally go away in one to three days. So far, it hasn’t been found that XBB is more likely to attack the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
李侗曾表示，一些新冠肺炎患者出现呕吐和腹泻等症状，一般会在一到三天内消失。到目前为止，还没有发现XBB更可能攻击心血管和消化系统。