India, Feb. 22 -- Researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology have identified a new coronavirus in bats that uses the same entry pathway into cells as the virus responsible for Covid-19. The virus has not been found in humans and was only detected in a laboratory. News of the discovery boosted the stock prices of some vaccine manufacturers on Friday.

Scientists stated in the journal Cell, as cited by news ageny Reuters, that the virus, known as HKU5-CoV-2, does not enter human cells as easily as SARS-CoV-2 does and that the "risk of emergence in human populations should not be exaggerated".

HKU5-CoV-2 shares similarities with Covid-19 as well as the virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as they all emerge from...