In January of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 reached the United States. With it came an even faster-spreading virus—xenophobic rhetoric referring to the pandemic's epicenter in Wuhan, China. Politicians flooded news outlets and social media with distrust of the Chinese government and labeled COVID-19 as the "Chinese flu," "Wuhan flu," "Kung flu" and more.
source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/spatial-distribution-of-anti-asian-hate-tweets-during-covid-19