What's the purpose of the phrase 'Chinese virus'?

In the past few days, President Trump and some of his fellow conservatives have changed the way they refer to the virus that has caused nearly 10,000 deaths around the world. For more than two months, Trump used the word “coronavirus.” On Monday, he began calling it the “Chinese virus” on Twitter and in public briefings. Other GOP lawmakers and conservative media figures have pivoted their language as well, with some preferring “Wuhan virus,” referring to the area of China where the outbreak originated.

The change in word choice has raised accusations of racism. Trump defended himself Wednesday, saying, “It comes from China. I want to be accurate.” The White House accused the president’s critics of “fake media outrage.”

Trump is correct that the virus is believed to come from China. But using the phrase goes against modern best practices to avoid location-based names for infectious diseases. Not only are they often inaccurate — Spanish flu started in Kansas and Ebola was chosen by scientists using an incorrect map — but they can also stigmatize people from the region the virus is named after. “It’s really important we be careful in the language we use lest it lead to the profiling of individuals associated with the virus,” a World Health Organization official said.