Wuhan virus

From Wuhan +‎ virus, q.v., from its presumed origin in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The same name was separately and less prominently used in 1995 for a strain of H3N2 flu.

Wuhan virus (uncountable)

1. (colloquial, derogatory, sometimes offensive) Synonym of coronavirus, the disease COVID-19.
   • 2020 January 11, Judy Stone, “Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Shows The Importance Of Sound Science, Sleuthing, And Cooperation”, in Forbes:

     This new “Wuhan virus” outbreak in China, which appears to be due to a novel coronavirus, is another warning to us about the need for more research in infectious diseases, epidemiology and control measures.

   • 2020 January 25, “No new cases of Wuhan virus, 64 suspected cases so far: MOH”, in Channel News Asia‎^[2], archived from the original on 27 January 2020:

     One of the 46, the man's 37-year-old son, is another confirmed case of the Wuhan virus.

   • 2020 May 13, New York Post‎^[3]:

     The Wuhan virus isn’t the only pandemic to come from China.

   • [2021 May 21, “Chinese American group sues Trump for calling COVID ‘China virus’”, in Al Jazeera:

     Former United States President Donald Trump is being sued by a Chinese American civil rights group over his use of the terms “Chinese virus”, “Wuhan virus” and “Kung Flu virus” during the coronavirus pandemic.]

2. (colloquial, derogatory, sometimes offensive) Synonym of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
   • 2020 January 13, World Health Organization, "Diagnostic detection of Wuhan coronavirus 2019 by real-time RT-PCR":

     We designed candidate diagnostic RT-PCR assays before release of the first sequence of the Wuhan virus.

   • 2020 January 21, Nature, volume 577, →DOI, page 450:

     Stop the Wuhan virus

   • 2020 December 4, James McGrath on Sky News[4]:

     The Wuhan virus has shown the world how China behaves.

3. (uncommon) Synonym of A/Wuhan/359/95, a strain of H3N2 influenza.

Particularly in the United States during COVID-19, where the Wuhan virus and similar terms were popularized by President Trump to highlight the origins of the virus.^[1]

• Wuhanvirus, Wuhan flu, Wuhan coronavirus, China virus, Chinese virus, kung flu