COVID 2.0? Scientists Identify New Bat Coronavirus with High Human Infection Potential 

Led by the virologist Shi Zhengli, a researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology has found a new bat coronavirus (HKU5-CoV-2). The virus has shown the ability to hijack human cells via an entry into the same “angiotensin-converting enzyme 2” (ACE2) receptor with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The find has led to a ripple effect of calls for vigilance to prevent another pandemic.

New Coronavirus Discovered: Does This Mean COVID 2.0?

Although HKU5-CoV-2 can recognize and bind the human ACE2 receptor, its ability to infect human cells is much lower than SARS-CoV-2. Mice laboratory experiments depicted that though it can still infect human cells with high ACE2 expression, binding ability of virus has its own relatively fragile. It aids cell entry but it doesn’t necessarily imply a deadly consequence. 

Also the new coronavirus has only been identified in laboratories and has not been detected in humans until now which eliminates the risk of a situation caused by COVID-19. Hence there is value in the finding but this does not yet indicate an imminent COVID-19 like pandemic. 

From Bloomberg | Researchers at the #Wuhan Institute of Virology in China said they discovered a new coronavirus in bats that enters cells using using the same gateway as the virus that causes #Covid-19#coronavirus pic.twitter.com/WGTIGGtGYK

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) February 22, 2025