A new bat coronavirus, named HKU5-CoV-2, has been identified in China, sparking worries about the possibility of another pandemic. This virus shares similarities with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, as it targets the same human receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2). Researchers have warned that HKU5-CoV-2 has the potential for human-to-human and cross-species transmission.
The research team, led by Zheng-Li Shi at Guangzhou Laboratory in Guangdong, China, discovered this new coronavirus. Shi, also known as the 'batwoman,' previously worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been under scrutiny as a potential source of the COVID-19 outbreak.
