Chinese researchers said that NeoCov could pose a threat to humans in the future.
New Delhi:
The World Health Organization said today that neokov coronavirusdiscovered by Chinese scientists, requires further study.
A team of Wuhan researchers found The new type of coronavirus, NeoCov, Among bats in South Africa. In a study, researchers said that this virus could pose a threat to humans in the future.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The WHO said it is aware of the development, but the virus needs further study to determine whether it poses a threat to humans.
“Whether the virus found in the study will pose a risk to humans will require further study,” Russian news agency TASS was quoted as saying by the health body.
The organization said that the source of 75% of infectious diseases in humans was wild animals. “Coronaviruses are frequently found in animals, including bats, which have been identified as natural reservoirs of many of these viruses,” the global body said.
It said it is actively working to combat such emerging zoonotic viruses.
The WHO also thanked the Chinese researchers for sharing their research in the preprint.
According to the study, NeoCov can penetrate human cells in the same way as the COVID-19 virus. “NeoCov is only one mutation away from becoming dangerous to humans,” the researchers said in a peer-reviewed study posted on the preprint repository BioRxiv. The study has yet to be reviewed.
The virus is closely related to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a viral disease that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
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