Amid the world is fighting the biggest battle against the deadly coronavirus second wave, the Chinese researchers informed that they have detected a batch of new coronaviruses in bats.
According to reports, around 24 new coronaviruses were found in the bats which includes one (Rhinolophus pusillus virus) that may be the second-closest yet (genetically) to the COVID-19 virus that has caused the pandemic.
Newly Found Coronaviruses Have The Potential To Spread To People
In a report published in the journal Cell, the Chinese researchers from Shandong University said, “In total, we assembled 24 novel coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including four SARS-CoV-2 like coronaviruses.”
They also stated that their discoveries show the number of new coronaviruses that are present in the bats and how much potential they are to spread the spread among the human body with causing health complications.
One Of The New Coronaviruses Are Similar To SARS-CoV-2
A novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was identified in China’s Wuhan that is China’s causative agent of a pneumonia outbreak. This was the agent which eventually spread to the other parts of the world, following which the WHO termed the outbreak as a pandemic.
The Chinese researchers studied a batch of samples collected from the bats which showed them that one of the viruses was very similar, genetically to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that’s causing the current pandemic.
They further wrote: “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.”
The Origin Of SARS-CoV-2
The origin of coronavirus has remained as a mystery even after over 1.5 years of the first outbreak of the infection that was first reported in the city of Wuhan of China. The Origin of SARS-CoV-2 is the virus agent that causes severe acute respiratory problem in the human body.
The origin of the COVID-19 causing virus is yet to be ascertained by the researchers, however, they have stated that the virus is most likely of zoonotic origin, from bats or another closely related mammal