Chinese scientists discover novel coronavirus transmitted from bats to humans
An expert from the Wuhan Institute, famously referred to as "batwoman," spearheaded the study.
TroibNews 
A research team in China has identified a new bat coronavirus that employs the same receptor as Covid-19 to infect humans. The findings underscore the necessity for ongoing monitoring of this pathogen to prevent its potential spread, as reported by Reuters on Saturday.
This novel virus belongs to a unique lineage of the HKU5 coronavirus, which was first discovered in the Japanese Pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong.
The study was conducted at the Guangzhou Laboratory and led by Shi Zhengli, widely known as “batwoman” due to her extensive research on bat coronaviruses. Zhengli is particularly noted for her work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, an institution that has been embroiled in controversy regarding the origins of Covid-19. While some theories suggest a lab leak in Wuhan, Shi has repeatedly rejected the notion that her institute was responsible for the outbreak.
In December of last year, the US Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concluded a 520-page report investigating the origins of the infection. This two-year inquiry claimed that the Chinese government, along with certain international experts and agencies, “sought to cover up facts concerning the origins of the pandemic.”
The lab-leak theory has been dismissed by Beijing.
Initially detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the coronavirus quickly spread globally, resulting in over seven million deaths worldwide.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
This novel virus belongs to a unique lineage of the HKU5 coronavirus, which was first discovered in the Japanese Pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong.
The study was conducted at the Guangzhou Laboratory and led by Shi Zhengli, widely known as “batwoman” due to her extensive research on bat coronaviruses. Zhengli is particularly noted for her work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, an institution that has been embroiled in controversy regarding the origins of Covid-19. While some theories suggest a lab leak in Wuhan, Shi has repeatedly rejected the notion that her institute was responsible for the outbreak.
In December of last year, the US Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concluded a 520-page report investigating the origins of the infection. This two-year inquiry claimed that the Chinese government, along with certain international experts and agencies, “sought to cover up facts concerning the origins of the pandemic.”
The lab-leak theory has been dismissed by Beijing.
Initially detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the coronavirus quickly spread globally, resulting in over seven million deaths worldwide.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
