Researchers in China have discovered a new coronavirus in bats that they say has the potential to spread to humans, after the world was recently hit by the COVID-19 pandemic
A new coronavirus strain has been identified in China, sparking fears it could spread among humans. The virus was discovered by researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology within bats and is reportedly related to MERS, a deadly coronavirus that kills up to a third of those infected.
The discovery has put health officials worldwide on high alert, given the devastating impact of Covid-19 since its emergence in 2019. The research, led by virologist Shi Zhengli, known as ‘batwoman’ for her work on coronaviruses, was published in a leading scientific journal.
Tests showed the new virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, infiltrates human cells in the same way as SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid. The Beijing-funded researchers shared their findings in the journal Cell, warning it posed a ‘high risk of spillover to humans, either through direct transmission or facilitated by intermediate hosts.’
HKU5-CoV-2 belongs to the merbecovirus group, which also includes the virus that causes MERS. Because it binds to human ACE2, it has a higher potential to infect humans than other coronaviruses, similar to SARS-CoV-2 and NL63– a common cold virus.
This comes as a surge in cases of the flu-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China has raised fears of another pandemic similar to Covid, reports the Mirror US.
It’s been nearly half a decade since the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the deadliest outbreaks in history. The virus, known as SARS-CoV-2, first emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and rapidly spread across Asia before reaching global proportions by early 2020.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a public health emergency in January 2020 and officially recognised it as a pandemic on March 11. Fast forward to October 2024, and the UK is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, with health experts warning the public to be vigilant for four key symptoms.
The XEC strain of coronavirus, a combination of the BX. 1.1 and BM 3.3 variants, is fuelling infections nationwide. First identified in Germany, this highly contagious variant has now spread to 27 countries across Europe, Asia, and North America.