Chinese scientists, led by Shi Zhengli, have discovered a novel coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, that can infect humans and other mammals. Isolated from the Japanese pipistrelle bat, this virus shares the same receptor as SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers dismissed the risk of HKU5 coronavirus spreading among human populations on a large scale, pointing out that its efficiency is lower than the Covid-19 virus

On the other hand, this new found bat virus is initially found in bats in Hing Kong. Because HKU5-CoV-2 is member of Merbecovirus of beacoronaviruses unlike SARS-CoV2 which belongs to Sarbecovirus subgenus, it is genetically different from Covid-19, reported Etimes.