DOH mum on newly discovered bat coronavirus

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said it refuses to comment on the newly discovered bat coronavirus "until there is sufficient evidence cause for comment."

In a message to reporters, DOH spokesperson Dr. Albert Domingo stated that no notifications have been received from the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations system regarding the so-called “new” virus.

"Similar to the now fully debunked "hMPV" false alarm, the DOH wishes to avoid commenting on each and every "new" virus published until there is sufficient cause for comment. Let us focus on what matters and what the data tells us to be of concern," Domingo added.

The health official was referring to human metapneumovirus (hMPV), which made headlines earlier this year following an outbreak reported in parts of China.

hMPV is a seasonal infection that typically occurs during the colder months, as the DOH explained previously.

Meanwhile, Chinese researchers have discovered a new bat coronavirus that poses a risk of animal-to-human transmission, as it utilizes the same human receptor as the COVID-19 virus, according to a Hong Kong daily report on Thursday, 20 February, citing the latest study.

The study, conducted by the Guangzhou Laboratory in collaboration with the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was published in the scientific journal Cell on 18 February.

According to reports, the newly discovered coronavirus uses the same human receptor as the viruses responsible for COVID-19 and SARS—the human angiotensin-converting enzyme.

However, the Chinese team noted that the virus does not enter human cells as readily as SARS-CoV-2.

They further emphasized that the risk of widespread human transmission remains low.