China discovers new coronavirus

A recent study conducted by the Guangzhou Laboratory in collaboration with the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology has discovered a new variant of the coronavirus. This study, published in the scientific journal Cell, was reported by the South China Morning Post and relayed by the Anadolu Agency (AA).

According to the research findings, the newly identified coronavirus, named HKU5-CoV-2, uses the same human receptor as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as SARS-CoV-1, which caused the SARS outbreak in 2002. This receptor is the human angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), which plays a key role in the viral infection process in humans.

HKU5-CoV-2 is a new variant of the HKU5 coronavirus, previously identified in Japanese bats in Hong Kong. The study revealed that this virus has the ability to infect human cells as well as lung and intestinal tissues grown in laboratory conditions. It also has the capacity to bind to ACE2 receptors not only in humans but also in bats and certain other animals, increasing the potential for cross-species transmission.

Although HKU5-CoV-2 has a greater ability to bind to the ACE2 receptor compared to its previous variant, researchers emphasize that it is significantly weaker than SARS-CoV-2 and that the risk of widespread human transmission remains low. This is an important finding, as it suggests that this virus does not pose an immediate threat to public health, although continued monitoring is necessary.

Shi Zhengli, the lead scientist of this study, is a well-known figure in the field of virology and has long worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This institute has been the subject of controversy and numerous accusations, mainly due to theories suggesting that COVID-19 may have accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. These claims have been denied by Chinese authorities and by Shi Zhengli herself, who has defended the natural origin of the virus, arguing that it jumped from animals to humans at a market in Wuhan.

China has consistently rejected the “CIA-backed theory” that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from an accidental laboratory leak. Instead, Beijing has insisted that the virus spread through natural transmission from animals to humans, possibly from bats or an intermediate host.

The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan at the end of December 2019. The virus then rapidly spread worldwide, causing an unprecedented global crisis. Billions of people were forced into lockdown as part of measures to curb the disease’s spread, while healthcare systems in many countries faced extraordinary challenges. So far, the pandemic has resulted in nearly seven million deaths and has left deep impacts on economies, societies, and people’s daily lives worldwide.

The discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 highlights that bats continue to be a significant source of new coronaviruses, raising concerns about the potential for future pandemics. Researchers stress the importance of continued wildlife monitoring to identify and prevent new global health threats. According to them, efforts must be intensified to better understand viral evolution and to develop preventive measures that can minimize the risk of future epidemic outbreaks.

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