'Small step away...': New bat virus similar to Covid emerges in China, raising fresh pandemic fears

A new virus bearing an unsettling resemblance to COVID-19 has been discovered in bats in China, prompting scientists to sound the alarm. While the virus currently poses no threat to humans, its genetic similarity to coronaviruses like MERS and COVID-19 suggests it may need only minor mutations to become a serious concern.

Health experts have issued pandemic warnings in the past, many of which thankfully never materialized. But fresh concerns have emerged following the identification of a virus known as HKU5-CoV-2—closely related to other high-risk coronaviruses—raising the specter of another potential outbreak.

Researchers say the virus was found in bats and shares traits with MERS, a virus infamous for its high fatality rate. Though HKU5-CoV-2 currently shows no ability to infect human cells, its close genetic makeup has researchers on edge.

Lab tests using pseudoviruses revealed that HKU5 cannot yet bind to human cells. However, scientists warn that if the virus jumps from bats to an intermediate animal species, it could mutate and evolve the capability to infect people.

"HKU5 viruses in particular really hadn't been looked at much, but our study shows how these viruses infect cells," said Professor Michael Letko of Washington State University. "What we also found is HKU5 viruses may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans."

Despite the alarm, experts caution against panic. Dr Mark Siegel of NYU Langone Health stressed that the chances of HKU5 leading to a pandemic on the scale of COVID-19 remain low. "The COVID pandemic is the worst in a century, but it doesn't mean another is about to happen from bird flu or this or anything else," he said, noting that studies like this are "a step in the right direction."

The discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 comes amid heightened global vigilance over emerging infectious diseases, a caution rooted in the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic that claimed millions of lives. Since then, several viruses have triggered momentary alarm, with health officials and scientists often warning that another pandemic may be inevitable.

The COVID-19 pandemic began with the identification of a novel coronavirus — initially named 2019-nCoV and later designated SARS-CoV-2 — as the causative agent. The outbreak was first linked to the Huanan seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China, suggesting an initial transmission from animals to humans.

As the infection spread to individuals without direct exposure to animal markets, evidence confirmed that the virus was highly contagious and capable of person-to-person transmission. Within just a few months, SARS-CoV-2 had traversed international borders, leading to a global crisis.

Even today, COVID-19 remains a concern, though at significantly reduced levels. As of 8 am on June 9, India reported 358 new cases over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of active cases to 6,491, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Importantly, no new deaths were reported in the same period, signaling a continued easing of the pandemic’s once devastating grip.