Here's why Russian eye clinic has taken WHO to court over naming new coronavirus as Omicron

The founder of a chain of Russian eye clinics called Omicron said it was a "shock" to learn that the newly discovered variant of coronavirus had been given the same name.

Aleksandr Padar, filed a lawsuit with the Moscow Arbitration Court against the Russian representative office of the World Health Organization on November 30.

Padar said he had "devoted six years to building the association of (the word) 'Omicron' with eye health, and now this word has a completely different, negative connotation."

He said that it may negatively affect his business "in new regions where we open new clinics".

"Obviously, we will have to somehow fight these established stereotypes, and this is a colossal cost."

"If my friend or relative died of Omicron (variant), I would definitely not go to a clinic with that name, and I think that I am not unique," Padar added.

Omicron eye clinics were established in 2015 across eleven Russian cities. Their website lists five more cities the company plans to open new clinics in.

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