A virus similar to Covid-19 has been discovered in bats in Russia. Khosta-2, that’s its name, could infect humans and resist coronavirus vaccines.
After Covid-19, Khosta-2. This new virus, close to Covid-19, has been identified on bats in Russia, indicates a study carried out by researchers from the State University of Washington published in the journal PLoS Pathogens on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
Named Khosta-2, this virus belongs to the “sarbecovirus” family, a subcategory of coronavirus similar to Covid-19. It also presents “troubling characteristics” with the virus which has panicked the planet since 2020.
A threat to global health?
In recent years, hundreds of sarbecoviruses have been discovered mainly in bats. They were not able to infect human cells. Ongoing research shows that Khosta-2 is capable of infecting humans. Worse: it could escape antibodies against Covid-19. Study author Michael Letko says: “Our research demonstrates that sarbecoviruses circulating in wildlife outside of Asia – even in places like western Russia where the Khosta-2 virus has been discovered – also pose a threat to global health and ongoing vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2.”
At the current stage of knowledge, even if Khosta-2 managed to infect humans, it would seem that it cannot cause serious illness in humans.
Only a new universal vaccine will fight this virus, says Michael Letko.