Reuters
International
New coronavirus resembling COVID-19 discovered in bats: Report
By Diane Duenez (Weekend Managing Editor)
- Chinese researchers discovered a new coronavirus that uses the same cell surface protein to enter human cells as the virus that causes COVID-19. The researchers published their findings in the journal Cell.
- The virus is found in bats and closely matches the one that led to the global pandemic in 2020.
- The first known human case of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan in November 2019, and more than 1.2 million Americans have died as a result of the disease.
Full Story
Chinese researchers discovered a new coronavirus that uses the same cell surface protein to enter human cells as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
Media Landscape
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Left 32%
Center 17%
Right 51%
Bias Summary
- A new coronavirus variant named HKU5-CoV-2 has been discovered in bats by a research team led by Shi Zhengli.
- The virus uses the same human receptor as SARS-CoV-2, which raises concerns among health officials globally.
- Researchers cautioned that HKU5-CoV-2 may have a higher potential for interspecies infection and poses a risk of spillover to humans.
- The study published in the journal Cell states that HKU5-CoV-2 infiltrates human cells similarly to SARS-CoV-2.
- No summary available because of a lack of coverage.
- Chinese researchers have identified a new bat coronavirus called HKU5-CoV-2, which uses the ACE2 receptor to enter human cells, similar to Sars-CoV-2, raising concerns about potential human infection.
- The study reported that HKU5-CoV-2 shows lower binding affinity to human ACE2 compared to Sars-CoV-2, indicating limited risk for human adaptation despite its ability to infect cells in laboratory tests.
- Dr. Michael Osterholm stated that the public's reaction to the new virus' discovery is "overblown" due to existing immunity in the population, which may lower pandemic risk.
- Shi Zhengli led the research revealing that HKU5-CoV-2 presents a potential zoonotic risk, suggesting that the virus emerged naturally.
Bias Comparison
Media outlets on the left
frame the discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 in a sensationalized narrative, emphasizing potential dangers and linking it to the Wuhan Lab, which invokes fear.
Media outlets on the right
present a more fact-based account, emphasizing research findings without alarmist language or politically charged implications.
Report an issue with this comparison
Bias Distribution
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Left
Left
+0
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Untracked Bias
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94 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
94
Leaning Left
13
Center
7
Leaning Right
21
Last Updated
2 days ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
The report, featured in the journal Cell, notes that the HKU5-CoV-2 is a virus found in bats. The coronavirus variant closely matches the one that lead to the global pandemic in 2020.
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Researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, the same lab accused of leaking the COVID-19 virus, report the bat virus carries a risk of animal-to-human transmission. However, researchers admit human testing remains to be investigated.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, tells Reuters that reaction to the study is “overblown.” He said there is a lot of immunity in the population to similar COVID-19 and SARS viruses compared with 2019.
The study itself noted that the virus has significantly less binding affinity than SARS-CoV-2.
The first known human case of COVID-19 was found in Wuhan in November 2019. Per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), More than 1.2 million Americans have died as a result of COVID-19. The World Health Organization reports more than 7 million deaths worldwide.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn more
Left 32%
Center 17%
Right 51%
Bias Summary
- A new coronavirus variant named HKU5-CoV-2 has been discovered in bats by a research team led by Shi Zhengli.
- The virus uses the same human receptor as SARS-CoV-2, which raises concerns among health officials globally.
- Researchers cautioned that HKU5-CoV-2 may have a higher potential for interspecies infection and poses a risk of spillover to humans.
- The study published in the journal Cell states that HKU5-CoV-2 infiltrates human cells similarly to SARS-CoV-2.
- No summary available because of a lack of coverage.
- Chinese researchers have identified a new bat coronavirus called HKU5-CoV-2, which uses the ACE2 receptor to enter human cells, similar to Sars-CoV-2, raising concerns about potential human infection.
- The study reported that HKU5-CoV-2 shows lower binding affinity to human ACE2 compared to Sars-CoV-2, indicating limited risk for human adaptation despite its ability to infect cells in laboratory tests.
- Dr. Michael Osterholm stated that the public's reaction to the new virus' discovery is "overblown" due to existing immunity in the population, which may lower pandemic risk.
- Shi Zhengli led the research revealing that HKU5-CoV-2 presents a potential zoonotic risk, suggesting that the virus emerged naturally.
Bias Comparison
Media outlets on the left
frame the discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 in a sensationalized narrative, emphasizing potential dangers and linking it to the Wuhan Lab, which invokes fear.
Media outlets on the right
present a more fact-based account, emphasizing research findings without alarmist language or politically charged implications.
Report an issue with this comparison
Bias Distribution
Far
Left
Left
+0
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Click to close
94 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
94
Leaning Left
13
Center
7
Leaning Right
21
Last Updated
2 days ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
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