Researchers at the Chinese lab accused of leaking the COVID-19 virus have now discovered a new coronavirus in bats that closely matches the one that led to the deadly worldwide outbreak in 2020, according to a study.
The virus, unearthed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission, though the infection has not yet been identified in a living person, according to a study published in the scientific journal Cell.
The bat virus, referred to as HKU5-CoV-2, uses the same human receptor as SARS-CoV-2, a strain of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The bat virus carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission. The Washington Post via Getty Images
The newly discovered bat strain can infect cells by binding to proteins found throughout the human body and other mammals, according to the study, led by notorious “bat lady” virologist, Dr. Shi Zhengli.
The potential for the virus to spill over into humans “remains to be investigated,” the study says.
Researchers said the bat virus belongs to the same coronavirus lineage that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a severe and often lethal respiratory illness that can spread from camels to people through direct physical contact.
The discovery was made at the embattled Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. REUTERS
The potential for the virus to spill over into humans “remains to be investigated,” the study says. AFP via Getty Images
Most cases are often found in countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first known case of COVID-19 in humans came in Wuhan in November 2019. AFP via Getty Images
The first known case of COVID-19 in humans came in Wuhan in November 2019. More than 1.2 million Americans died in the COVID-19 pandemic, per data from the CDC.
Wuhan Institute of Virology has long been the center of lab leak theories surrounding the worldwide pandemic — a presumption that China has denied.
