Is another pandemic just around the corner? China discovers a new bat coronavirus

A Chinese team has found a new bat coronavirus that carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission because it uses the same human receptor as the virus that causes Covid-19. The virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, was found to use the same human receptor as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19.According to a report in South China Morning Post, the study was led by Shi Zhengli- a leading virologist, often dubbed as “batwoman”, due to her extensive research on bat coronaviruses. This comes after a surge in cases of the flu-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China raised fears of another Covid-style pandemic.Images of hospitals overrun with masked patients have circulated widely on social media, but health experts say HMPV is not like Covid, and point out it has been around for many years. They say China and other countries are simply experiencing the seasonal increase in HMPV typically seen in winter.