Researchers have discovered another bat coronavirus in China that is raising concerns, but the risk of it infecting humans is reportedly low.
The group of researchers who made the discovery was lead by Shi Zhengli at Guangzhou Laboratory in Guangdong, China, Fox News reported on Sunday, noting that Shi has been called the “batwoman.”
Shi is a leading researcher from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, per Breitbart News.
The Fox article detailed more information about the recently discovered virus:
The virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, is similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in that it targets the same human receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
HKU5-CoV-2 could potentially lead to human-to-human or even cross-species transmission, the researchers found.
The researchers recently published their findings in the scientific journal Cell. The scientists reportedly discovered that the virus could infect human cells and “artificially grown lung and intestine tissues.”
In November, Breitbart News reported that Shi, whose previous work has a possible link to the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, was conducting coronavirus research with Western scientists.
“Shi’s latest project is the creation of a custom coronavirus receptor, the molecule that helps a virus bind to cells in its host organism,” Breitbart News’s John Hayward said.
“No one involved with the project seems to think the public might be alarmed by scientists creating a perfect modular delivery system for the coronavirus that shut down the entire world, in cooperation with the ‘bat lady’ who might have helped to unleash the worldwide pandemic,” he continued.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told the outlet there was a chance the virus could infect humans.
However, he stressed the risk of infection was quite low, noting the virus is not as powerful as SARS-CoV-2.
“Even as we continue to investigate potential human pathogens, and even as we prepare for possible pandemics, it is very important that we not give in to fear,” he stated.
In January, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Ratcliffe told Breitbart News he intends to immediately find out everything the agency knew about the coronavirus leaking from a Wuhan lab, the outlet reported.
“I’ve been on record, as you know, in saying I think our intelligence, our science, and our common sense all really dictates that the origins of COVID was a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” he told Breitbart News’s Matt Boyle.
“But the CIA has not made that assessment, or at least not made that assessment publicly. So I’m going to focus on that and look at the intelligence and make sure that the public is aware that the agency is going to get off the sidelines,” Ratcliffe said.
During his first term in office, President Donald Trump said the United States would continue investigating the origin of the coronavirus, Breitbart News reported in April 2020.