German health minister: don't call mutant corona strain 'English'

FILE PHOTO: German Health Minister Jens Spahn holds a news conference on upcoming coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations, in Berlin, Germany, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Monday urged people not to call the new coronavirus mutation that was first detected in the United Kingdom "the English variant".

"Just as we didn't talk about the 'Chinese virus' last year, now we shouldn't talk about the 'English variant,'" Spahn said.