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A Chinese research team has identified a new bat coronavirus that can infect humans using the same receptor as Covid-19, raising concerns about its potential spread. The discovery, reported by Reuters on Saturday, highlights the need for continuous monitoring of emerging pathogens to prevent future outbreaks.
The newly identified virus belongs to a separate lineage of the HKU5 coronavirus, first detected in the Japanese Pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong. The research was conducted at the Guangzhou Laboratory under the leadership of Shi Zhengli, a virologist widely known as “batwoman” for her extensive work on bat coronaviruses. Shi, who is affiliated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, has been at the center of controversy over Covid-19’s origins, as theories about a possible lab leak continue to circulate—claims she has consistently denied.
This discovery comes amid ongoing investigations into the origins of Covid-19. In December, the US Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a 520-page report suggesting that the Chinese government, along with some international experts, attempted to obscure information about the virus’s origins. Beijing, however, has firmly rejected the lab-leak theory.
Covid-19, first detected in Wuhan in December 2019, rapidly spread across the globe, resulting in over seven million deaths worldwide. The emergence of another potentially human-infecting coronavirus underscores the importance of global vigilance in tracking zoonotic diseases.
