Question: Did the variants get new names?

Answer: Yes!  As STATNews and Nature reported earlier this week, WHO has landed on a new naming convention for SARS-CoV-2 variants: the Greek alphabet (Table).  This new convention is designed to alleviate confusion– no more need for the general public to remember a letter/number string set– and reduce opportunities for stigma– no more direct association of a variant with where it was originally discovered.  In case you’re wondering, according to the CDC, Alpha is the most widely circulating lineage in the US (~70%) followed by Gamma (~7%).   

Table. Naming the Variants of Concern (from WHO)