USA have claimed that a new Russian bat virus could dodge the Covid vaccine and infect humans.Russian horseshoe bats are understood to be the source of the virus, called Khosta-2 but referred to as a sarbecovirus.According to the journal PLoS Pathogens the virus has been exhibiting "troubling traits”.READ MORE: 'Hurt' Queen Elizbeth was 'exhausted by the turmoil' of Harry and Meghan, claims new bookResearchers from the Paul G.
Allen School for Global Health at Washington State University (WSU) first made the discovery that the virus can use spike proteins to infect the cells of people in a similar way to Covid.
The corresponding author of the study and virologist at WSU, Michael Letko, said: "Our research further demonstrates that sarbecoviruses circulating in wildlife outside of Asia – even in places like western Russia where the Khosta-2 virus was found – also pose a threat to global health and ongoing vaccine campaigns against SARS-CoV-2”.
He added that vaccines needed to be developed that would work to tackle all kinds of sarbecoviruses. Although hundreds of sarbecoviruses have been found in bats in Asia most have been deemed as unable to transfer to humans, Euronews.net reports.