Apart from the racial overtones here, there is a public health aspect to this: messaging is more effective if it is clear and consistent.
Relabeling the virus as Wuhan virus, Chinese or whatever reduces messaging efficacy and plays into conspiracy theories.
Relabeling the virus as Wuhan virus, Chinese or whatever reduces messaging efficacy and plays into conspiracy theories.
Based on past experience, public health officials know that references to specific people or regions tend to generate irrational responses. So they tried to avoid such names when naming the coronavirus. GOP politicians know better, apparently. nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/… 
In the case of coronavirus, framing it as Chinese or Wuhan virus provides a supportive frame to a false conspiracy theory that it was deliberately developed in a Chinese lab. GOP Senator Tom Cotton helped to push this conspiracy. nytimes.com/2020/02/17/bus…
If you are Asian, you now face additional risk discrimination due to coronavirus. We have scapegoated minority groups for disease spread throughout history. Political leaders framing the virus as Chinese/Wuhan amplify this discriminatory logic. nbcnews.com/think/opinion/…
