Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China said they discovered a new coronavirus in bats that enters cells using the same gateway as the virus that causes COVID-19.

A team of Chinese virologists has identified a novel bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, raising fears of potential spillover into human populations. The virus, which shares similarities with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus,

Scientists also discovered that HKU5-CoV-2 might infect human cells as well as small lung or gut tissues cultured in a lab.

A study claims that a new virus has been detected in the Wuhan Lab, where the Covid-19 virus originated. Know all about HKU5-CoV-2 virus.

The virus has a special feature, called a furin cleavage site, that helps it enter cells through the ACE2 receptor protein just like the Covid-19 virus.

CoV-2, which can enter human cells using the same gateway as the highly contagious SAR-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. However, researchers say the newly discovered germ is much less capable of rapi

The lab finding does raise the possibility that this new bat virus could spread from animals to humans, researchers said in a paper published in the journal Cell

A new bat coronavirus found in China should be monitored “very, very carefully” because it attacks human cells in the same way as Covid-19, virologists have warned.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no reason for public concern after a new coronavirus in bats was discovered.