New Coronavirus Strain Discovered from Bats: Potential Risk Despite Low Spread Ability

According to research published in the journal Cell, the new virus strain named HKU5-CoV-2 has many similarities with SARS-CoV-2, especially the presence of a furin cleavage site - an important factor that helps the virus enter human cells through the ACE2 protein on the cell surface.

Experiments in vitro and in human intestinal and respiratory models have shown that HKU5-CoV-2 is able to invade human cells, especially those with high levels of the ACE2 protein. However, this virus is not as easy to invade as SARS-CoV-2 because it has limited ability to bind to human ACE2 and lacks some factors necessary to adapt to the human body.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota (USA), said that there should be no need to worry too much about this virus strain. He said that compared to 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the population now has a large amount of antibodies against viruses in the SARS family, helping to reduce the risk of a pandemic from the new virus strain. In addition, research also shows that monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs are currently capable of attacking this virus, opening up hope for future preventive measures.

Still, the news of the discovery has drawn a lot of attention from pharmaceutical companies, especially COVID-19 vaccine makers. According to Bloomberg, the stock prices of companies such as Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax have increased sharply after the above information. Specifically, Pfizer's shares increased by 1.5%, Moderna's increased by 5.3%, and Novavax's increased by about 1%, even as the overall market was falling.

The discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 shows the importance of continuing to monitor and research new coronaviruses to ensure timely preparation for any possible future outbreaks.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/phat-hien-chung-virus-corona-moi-tu-doi-nguy-co-tiem-an-du-kha-nang-lay-lan-thap-i759876/