Chinese Researchers in Wuhan Lab Find COVID-Like Bat Virus

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

โ€˜This virus could create a highly extremely threatening new bioweapons agent and pandemic pathogen,โ€™ a molecular biologist said.

Chinese researchers, led by a virologist whose work had fueled concerns about a possible COVID-19 lab leak, have discovered a new bat coronavirus similar to the one that causes COVID-19 that is capable of infecting humans.

The virus, called HKU5-CoV-2, can enter human cells through the ACE2 receptor, the same gateway for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that sparked a global pandemic five years ago, according to a study recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell.

The lead researcher is Shi Zhengli, who, for years, led work on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a lab that has been under scrutiny amid the ongoing questions about the origins of COVID-19.

The researchers collected nearly 1,000 anal swabs from pipistrellus bats across five Chinese provinces and took them to the state-owned Wuhan research institute.

The virus belongs to a distinct lineage of coronaviruses that also include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus. Lab experiments indicate this virus strain may infect a wide range of mammals. The HKU5-CoV-2 has the potential to jump from one species to another, researchers said, noting the recent detection of viral sequences closely related to HKU5-CoV in farmed minks.

The virus doesnโ€™t enter human cells as readily as the SARS-CoV-2 virus, suggesting the risk of its โ€œemergence in human populations should not be exaggerated,โ€ the paper states. It also identified antibodies and antiviral drugs targeting the virus.

Findings about the virus raised concerns from Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist and laboratory director at Rutgers Universityโ€™s Waksman Institute of Microbiology, who has been critical of the Wuhan Instituteโ€™s virus experiments.

โ€œIn nature, this virus poses minimal threat to humans,โ€ he told The Epoch Times on Feb. 25.

โ€œHowever, laboratory enhancement of transmissibility or pathogenicity, this virus could create a highly extremely threatening new bioweapons agent and pandemic pathogen.โ€

China is currently experiencing a surge of human metapneumovirus cases while the regime continues to resist international probes of the origin of COVID-19.

In January, the CIA became the third U.S. executive agency to back the theory that the SARS-CoV-2 virus might have come from a Chinese lab.

Byย Eva Fu

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

ChatGPT Goes Biblical about End Times!

There are some truly outstanding internet content creators, or...

Epsteinโ€™s Niece Exposes the Illuminati!

There is a shocking interview by the podcaster Shaun Attwood, an English former ecstasy trafficker turned YouTube podcaster, speaker, activist, and author.

When Gynocrats Attack: Innocent Locker Room Talk Interrupted By Rabid Karen

The question posed: โ€œWho do you think has a...

Obamaโ€™s Treason is a Betrayal of American Democracy and Demands Real Accountability

Few scandals have cast a longer shadow than the 2016 Russia investigationโ€”the manufactured crisis by President Obama designed to cripple Trump's presidency.

Chronic Grievous Insufficiency

A president's physical vigor, stamina, and mental acuity are essential to his ability to fulfill the duties of office and those qualities should matter with no regard to party affiliation.

US Witnessing โ€˜CapEx Comebackโ€™ as Investment Wave Hits Economy: Treasury

The U.S. economy is experiencing a โ€œCapEx Comebackโ€ this year as private-sector investment soars, the Treasury Department said.

What to Know About New ‘Visa Integrity Fee’

New refundable โ€œVisa Integrity Feeโ€ for foreign nationals applying for nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States.

Oregon High School Athletes File First Amendment Lawsuit Over Podium Protest

AFPI filed lawsuit for Oregon high school athletes, alleging OSAA violated their First Amendment rights by punishing their peaceful protest of boy competing in girlsโ€™ event.

Professional Wrestling Legend, Hulk Hogan, Dies at 71

Hulk Hogan, former WWE superstar and one of the most recognizable figures in the sports entertainment industry, has died at 71 years old.

Odds of U.S.-EU Trade Deal Are 50โ€“50 Ahead of Tariff Deadline: Trump

President Donald Trump said thereโ€™s a 50โ€“50 chance that the United States will finalize a trade deal with the European Union before an Aug. 1 deadline.

Trump Pulls Habbaโ€™s Nomination for New Jerseyโ€™s Top Prosecutor, Making Her Acting US Attorney

President Trump withdrew his nomination of Alina Habba to serve as NJโ€™s top federal prosecutor, making her Acting US Attorney.

Trump Says He Wants Muskโ€™s Companies to โ€˜Thrive Like Never Beforeโ€™

On Thursday, President Trump said, โ€œI want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!โ€

DOJ Forms Strike Force to Assess DNI Findings on Russia Collusion Allegations

DOJ is forming task force following the declassification of docs that shed light on origins of false claims that Trump won 2016 election with Russiaโ€™s help.
spot_img

Related Articles