Scottsdale councilman shares false info claiming COVID-19 means 'Chinese Originating' virus

Scottsdale City Councilmember Guy Phillips shared a private post on Facebook on Sunday claiming that COVID-19, the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, stands for "Chinese Originated Viral Infectious Disease."

The post reads: "Hate to break this to all of the morons who call themselves Journalists. COVID literally stands for 'Chinese Originated Viral Infectious Disease' and the number 19 is due to this being the 19th virus to come out of China."

The name for the disease actually is an abbreviation, with 'CO' for 'corona,' 'VI' for virus,' and 'D' for disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 19 stands for the year 2019, when the virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China.

The post was originally made by Facebook user Mac McPhe Sunday morning and shared by Phillips later that day.

As of Sunday afternoon, a handful of people had commented giving Phillips the correct information. He eventually deleted the post, and posted an apology on Facebook and Twitter on Monday morning.

"Yesterday I reposted a stupid comment before morning coffee," Phillips wrote on Facebook. "I deleted it after checking but the damage was done. Sorry to anyone offended."

Phillips could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday. He is currently up for reelection for his third term on the Scottsdale City Council.

The post comes after President Donald Trump doubled down on referring to the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus." The president has faced criticism over how his administration is handling the response to the global pandemic.

"It comes from China," Trump told reporters at a coronavirus task force news conference Wednesday. "I want to be accurate."

Best practices for disease naming

Disease names should minimize any unnecessary negative impacts the disease could have on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, according to the World Health Organization's best practices for naming.

The WHO officially named the disease COVID-19 on Feb. 11.

Diseases should not be named after cities or countries where they originate, people’s names, species or classes of animals or after any cultural or occupational reference, according to the WHO guidance.

The WHO cites examples such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or the Spanish Flu as how not to refer to diseases.

The name should also avoid causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups, the WHO said.

While there is little dispute that the virus originated in China, lawmakers and Asian American advocates have advised against referring to the virus with a location-specific name to avoid an increase in xenophobia against people of Asian descent.

Trump said Wednesday he was not concerned about Chinese Americans' concerns about racism.

"It's not racist at all," he said.

Have a tip out of Scottsdale? Reach the reporter Lorraine Longhi at llonghi@gannett.com or 480-243-4086. Follow her on Twitter @lolonghi.

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