Chinese researchers have discovered a new bat coronavirus named HKU5-CoV-2 that can potentially infect humans because it operates the same cell-surface proteins as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 to enter cells. The study on this virus was published in the scientific journal Cell and conducted by renowned Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli, often called "Batwoman", for her extensive research on bat coronaviruses at the Guangzhou Laboratory.

A new virus, HKU5-CoV-2, has been discovered within bats in China. While there is a potential risk of human infection, researchers stated that further studies are needed to understand animal-to-human transmission. Although hundreds of coronaviruses exist in the wild, only a few are infectious to humans. HKU5-CoV-2 traces its origins to the HKU5 coronavirus, first recognised in the Japanese pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong. It belongs to the merbecovirus subgenus, a virus responsible for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Scientists reported that similar to SARS-CoV-2, the bat virus HKU5-CoV-2 has a furin cleavage site, which enables it to enter cells through the ACE2 receptor protein on their surfaces. In laboratory experiments, HKU5-CoV-2 successfully infected human cells with high ACE2 levels in test tubes, as well as in models of human intestines and airways. Researchers also discovered monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs that can target the bat virus.

China's leading virologist, Shi Zhengli, led research on the new coronavirus alongside a team of scientists from the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Shi, widely known as "Batwoman" for her extensive research on bat coronaviruses, is also recognised for her work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been frequently suspected as the origin of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

There have been assertions that the virus spread from a lab at the institute. However, Shi has denied these allegations and rejected the idea that the pandemic started there. So far, there is no consensus on the origins of the Covid-19 virus.

Chinese researchers stated that HKU5-CoV-2 does not enter human cells as quickly as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19.

The study also highlighted that HKU5-CoV-2 has a much lower binding affinity to human ACE2 than SARS-CoV-2. Other unfavourable factors for human adaptation also indicate that the "risk of emergence in human populations should not be exaggerated."

Meanwhile, Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota, described the reaction to the study as "overblown." He noted that compared to 2019, there is now more excellent immunity in the population to similar SARS viruses, which could lower the pandemic risk.

Earlier this month, a separate study by researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle and Wuhan University found that while the HKU5 strain could bind to ACE2 receptors in bats and other mammals, they did not observe “efficient” binding to human ACE2.

The novel coronavirus was first identified in China in December 2019 and quickly spread to other countries. In response, the World Health Organisation declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in January 2020 and classified the outbreak as a pandemic two months later.

As of February 2025, the pandemic has resulted in 7,087,718 confirmed deaths worldwide, ranking as the fifth-deadliest pandemic or epidemic in history.