Omicron shop: 'We asked for a vaccine to be named after us, but the government misread our email'

A Kent print shop that found itself sharing its name with the Covid variant has taken the in stride.

The managing director of Omicron Repro, in Canterbury, was at first worried the shared name would have a 'negative' effect on business, following a tough year for retailers.

But Mark Fawcett-Jones decided to make the best of an unfortunate coincidence.

The shop's staff drew praise on social media and from customers who sent messages of support for the business, after they dressed up in hazard gear and posed with its sign.

Mr Fawcett-Jones told ITV Meridian that one bright side of the naming dilemma would be customers finally being able to spell Omicron's name correctly over email.

He added: "(We) asked for a vaccine to be named after the shop - but the government misread our email".

Omicron is not the first business to draw comparisons to variants due to their names.

It follows in the footsteps of beer brand Corona and United States flight operator Delta airlines

Mr Fawcett-Jones recalled the dismay as the new variant's name emerged.

"Our reaction was one of shock... but after receiving a lot of positive feedback, via direct messages from our customers, we felt that it might finally help people understand the word and also spell it correctly.

"The spelling is important due to our customer ordering via email."

He added that the shop is "still as busy as ever".

Covid-19 variants were renamed in June using letters of the Greek alphabet in an attempt to move away from the use of place names.

Experts working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) developed labels for variants which in a bid to halt the practise of naming them after places where they are first detected.

The WHO admitted the scientific names can be "difficult to say and recall" and so have given rise "to calling variants by the places where they are detected.

But the organisation has since encouraged global adoption of Greek alphabet names for the varants, arguing naming them after areas where they were discovered was "stigmatising and discriminatory."

The variant that was first detected in Kent, for example, has the scientific name B.1.1.7, and has become known as Alpha.

Omicron, which is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, has the scientific name, B.1.1.529.

'Omicron' followed the 'Mu' variant, but it was noted with curiosity worldwide that it had the two interceding letters in the Greek alphabet, 'nu' and 'xi,' had been skipped.

The WHO issued a statement explaining 'nu' could be confused with the word 'new' and 'xi' was a common surname.

The UK now has 11 confirmed Omicron cases - which was first detected in South Africa - in areas of Scotland and England.

Leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland have said they are bracing for cases to be detected, although none had been detected by Tuesday.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it is expected cases will continue to rise across the UK in the coming days.