It's Not Over Yet: Researchers In China Find Batch Of New Coronaviruses In Bats
Researchers In China Find Batch Of New Coronaviruses In Bats: Report Chinese researchers claim they have discovered a new batch of coronaviruses in bats. That includes one which is closest to the COVID-19 virus as of now, as reported by CNN,
Chinese researchers claim they have discovered a new batch of coronaviruses in bats. That includes one which is closest to the COVID-19 virus as of now, as reported by CNN,
Weifeng Shi of the University of Shandong and his colleagues have conducted the research in Yunnan province, southwestern China. The research indicates how many coronaviruses there are in bats and their potential to spread among humans. Samples were collected between May 2019 and November 2020.
AP
¡°Together with the SARS-CoV-2 related virus collected from Thailand in June 2020, these results clearly demonstrate that viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 continue to circulate in bat populations, and in some regions might occur at a relatively high frequency," they concluded.
¡°Bats are well known reservoir hosts for a variety of viruses that cause severe diseases in humans and have been associated with the spillovers of Hendra virus, Marburg virus, Ebola virus and, most notably, coronaviruses. Aside from bats and humans, coronaviruses can infect a wide range of domestic and wild animals, including pigs, cattle, mice, cats, dogs, chickens, deer and hedgehogs," they added.
AP
¡°Our study highlights the remarkable diversity of bat coronaviruses at the local scale, including close relatives of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV," they went on to say.
According to WHO, the most likely source of SARS-CoV-2 is an animal, possibly a bat.
