Chinese scientists have identified a new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, capable of infecting humans, raising fresh concerns about potential future outbreaks. In a study led by Shi Zhengli, scientists say this bat coronavirus has a ‘high’ risk of spillover to humans.

The study found that HKU5-CoV-2 contains a furin cleavage site, a feature that enhances viral entry into cells via the ACE2 receptor. In laboratory experiments, the virus was able to infect human cells with high ACE2 levels, including models of human intestines and airways.

A Chinese team discovered a new bat coronavirus that poses a risk of animal-to-human transmission as it uses the same human receptor as the COVID-19 virus, a Hong Kong daily reported on Thursday, citing the latest study.

A new study led by Shi Zhengli, the Chinese scientist at the centre of research that’s suspected to have caused the Covid-19 pandemic, has found a new bat coronavirus that has a ‘high’ risk of spillov

A media report underscores that the virus, found by a Chinese team of virologists, uses the same human receptor as the virus that causes Covid-19.

Newly discovered bat coronavirus shares entry protein with COVID-19, but poses lower risk of human transmission, researchers find.

Researchers have discovered a virus that could enter human cells in a similar way to COVID-19. But they caution it's much more poorly adapted to humans.

The South China Morning Post reports that a new strain of coronavirus has been identified in bats in China. A team of researchers has indicated that it may spread in the same manner as the virus responsible for the multi-year pandemic beginning in late 2019 and early 2020.