The British newspaper The British Daily mentioned in its report issued today, Saturday, September 24, that virologists have discovered a virus similar to the coronavirus present in bats living deep in Russian caves, and that this virus can infect humans. It is a member of the coronavirus family.

The British newspaper explained that experts affiliated with the Russian government recognized the Khosta-2 virus as a branch of the coronavirus family tree. American virologists who conducted experiments on the Khosta-2 virus have concerns that it may be completely resistant to the widespread coronavirus vaccines, especially since this virus can easily attach to human cells in the same way as the coronavirus.

In this context, researchers at Washington State University decided to conduct some tests and experiments on the virus, and the tests showed that Khosta-2 was capable of infecting human cells in a manner almost identical to the coronavirus, using a spike-like protein on its surface. The virus attaches to an entry enzyme present on the outer surface of human cells called ACE-2. The process is often likened to a key being inserted into a lock, with scientists confirming that they believe it has evolved to become more contagious than measles.

Also, the experiments tested the virus and whether coronavirus vaccines could eliminate it or not, if it could potentially be transmitted to humans. The experiments showed that it was completely resistant to one of the monoclonal antibody drugs made by Eli Lilly, and also showed that Khosta-2 exhibited resistance to two doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

These results prove that this new virus may pose a global health threat in the upcoming period.