Discovery of a mysterious virus in bats... Could a new pandemic be looming on the horizon?

Could the nightmare of coronavirus return? Chinese scientists discover a new virus capable of infecting humans:

In a new discovery that may reignite fears of another pandemic, virologists in China have revealed a new strain of coronavirus capable of infecting humans in the same way COVID-19 did.

According to the South China Morning Post, the discovered virus is a new type of HKU5_CoV, a coronavirus first identified in a Japanese bat in Hong Kong.

Shi Zhengli, the renowned Chinese virologist, and her team managed to isolate it in a lab in Guangzhou, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Concerningly, researchers found that this new strain can utilize the ACE2 protein not only in bats but also in humans and other mammals, making its transmission to humans possible.

Scientists discovered that the virus isolated from bat samples can infect human cells, shedding light on the danger of bat viruses and their ability to directly transmit to humans or through an intermediary host.

Despite these concerning findings, researchers emphasize that there is no need to panic at the moment, as the risk of HKU5_CoV_2 appearing in the human population is still limited.

However, they stress the importance of conducting extensive studies to understand the nature of the virus and its potential for spreading among humans.

Are we facing a new threat? The coming days may bring clearer answers.