Highly infectious, potentially deadly, new coronavirus found in China

A new highly infectious strain of coronavirus has been found in China by the researcher famed for her work at the Wuhan laboratory where Covid was discovered. The new virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, has been found by a research team led by Shi Zhengli.

The virus is said to be related to MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) which belongs to the same coronavirus family as SARS-CoV (which causes SARS) and SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19).

MERS was first detected in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. An outbreak in South Korea in 2015 had 186 cases and 38 deaths. MERS has a case fatality rate of around 34%, meaning about 1 in 3 infected people die from the disease.

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Many patients develop severe pneumonia, fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some also experience kidney failure and septic shock. Unlike COVID-19, MERS does not spread easily between people, mostly affecting those in close contact with infected patients (e.g., healthcare workers, family members).

There is no vaccine or treatment for MERS

Tests show HKU5-CoV-2 infiltrates human cells in the same way as SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid. The researchers shared their discovery in the journal Cell, stating that it posed a "high risk of spillover to humans, either through direct transmission or facilitated by intermediate hosts".

The new HKU5-CoV-2 is a coronavirus belonging to the merbecovirus family of pathogens, usually found in minks and pangolins. The fact it has now been found in bats suggests it can cross species.

The new discovery suggests HKU5-CoV-2 has a "higher potential for interspecies infection" than others.

Official reports indicate that over 7 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19 since the outbreak at the end of 2019. However, studies suggest that the actual death toll may be significantly higher. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there were approximately 14.9 million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Other research, such as a study published in The Lancet, estimates around 18.2 million excess deaths during the same period.

Excess deaths refer to the number of deaths during a specific time frame that exceed the expected number under normal conditions. This metric accounts for both the direct impact of the virus and indirect effects, such as overwhelmed healthcare systems and delayed medical treatments.