New Delhi, Feb. 22 -- The newly discovered bat coronavirus -- HKU5-CoV-2 -- can spread to humans like Covid-19, said experts on Saturday, raising fresh health concerns.

HKU5-CoV-2 was identified by a team of Chinese virologists led by Shi Zhengli, a renowned scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. She is also known as "Batwoman" for her extensive research on coronaviruses, particularly the SARS-CoV-2 virus -- responsible for the deadly pandemic that claimed millions of lives.

The discovery raises concerns about the possibility of another zoonotic spillover. HKU5-CoV-2 belongs to the merbecovirus subgenus, which includes the MERS-CoV virus that caused the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.

Zhengli's team had, a fe...