Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China said they discovered a new coronavirus in bats that enters cells using the same gateway as the virus that causes Covid-19.

The virus has a special feature, called a furin cleavage site, that helps it enter cells through the ACE2 receptor protein just like the Covid-19 virus.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology was not involved in the creation or leakage of the COVID-19 virus, a spokesperson of China's foreign ministry said during a regular press conference on Wednesday.

Researchers have discovered a new coronavirus in Chinese bats. HKU5-CoV-2 is a coronavirus belonging to the merbecovirusgroup, which also includes the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus. RELATED: Another US agency assesses COVID-19 origin likely a Chinese 'lab leak': report

The discovery of a new bat coronavirus in China has sparked concerns of another pandemic. The virus, HKU5-CoV-2, is similar to to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Researchers have discovered a virus that could enter human cells in a similar way to COVID-19. But they caution it's much more poorly adapted to humans.

A team of Chinese researchers has discovered a new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, which has the potential to infect human cells. The virus, linked to the same family as MERS, was found to bind to human ACE2 receptors,

Chinese scientists have discovered a new coronavirus in bats called HKU5-CoV-2. It shares similarities with SARS-CoV-2 and can infect human cells. Researchers are investigating its potential to spill over to humans.