The virus binds to humans in a similar way to the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • AWistfulNihilist@lemmy.world
    9·
    3 天前

    It lacks context, but they aren’t just stumbling on the bat viruses. They look for them. China has the best virus hunters in the world and they spend all their time specifically hunting for weird bat viruses to take back to the lab. There are hundreds (thousands?) Of bat viruses that have been collected, cataloged, and experimented on in China, at the WIV and other labs.

  • geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml
    24·
    4 天前

    HKU5-CoV-2 was found by a Chinese research team led by virologist Shi Zhengli, known as “Batwoman” for her work on coronaviruses, especially at the Wuhan Institute, which has been at the center of the theory suggesting COVID-19 came from a lab leak—something Shi has denied.

    Is this an Onion article?

    • ignirtoq@fedia.io
      35·
      5 天前

      I never stopped. The pandemic never ended. People just got tired of acknowledging it and left the vulnerable to fend for themselves.

      • Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 天前

        Covid never ended; my boyfriend just tested positive last week. And it won’t end since it’s a mutating virus. But it’s nowhere near as deadly as initial variants, and the curve flattened a long time ago. I wouldn’t still call it a pandemic.

        • imvii@lemmy.ca
          3·
          3 天前

          My girlfriend and I are fully vaccinated. Have been since day one.

          I got Covid once about 2.5 years ago. I barely noticed. I was feeling punky and tired and my girlfriend said I should take a covid test. It was positive. I spent one day in bed because I was so tired, but the next day I was better. Never had a cough, no fever I noticed. A slight body ache.

          A week later the girlfriend got it. She had a fever, bad cough, spent 4-5 days in bed. It took her 2-3 weeks to shake it and not feel tired all the time. She had a lingering cough for a couple months.

          I haven’t had it (or noticed I had it) again. She hasn’t either.

          I kind of think of Covid as being the new flu. You get your shots for it, hopefully the formula matches the strains floating around. It’s the new normal.

      • Catoblepas
        14·
        5 天前

        I stopped masking in public very briefly when they were saying it was okay after getting double vaxxed. Waited the proper amount of time for immunity to kick in and then some, and I immediately got COVID 🥲

        Fool me once, etc. I’m never doing that shit again, and it’s a little disturbing to me how little people care about others’ health or their own. You’d think naked self interest would get people masking if empathy doesn’t, but apparently not.

      • pezhore@infosec.pub
        6·
        4 天前

        Same. And to the best of my knowledge I’m still a COVID virgin (unless I was asymptomatic).

        • Zana@startrek.website
          10·
          4 天前

          I worked retail for a good portion of it and somehow never got it. I did get swung at by a customer who thought I was hiding toilet paper in the back though.

        • imvii@lemmy.ca
          1·
          3 天前

          If I didn’t test for it when I had it, I wouldn’t have known I had it. I was pretty much just tired for a couple days. Spent a day in bed.

          Hell, I do that 3-4 times a year anyway.

  • gearheart@lemm.ee
    28·
    5 天前

    Can we have a virus that only affect those that don’t believe in the virus? 🤔

    Unfortunately the last one mainly affected those that were actually considerate towards our fellow humans.

    • Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world
      6·
      3 天前

      I dunno about “mainly.” We definitely lost way too many good people, but there were plenty denying covid was real while being put on a ventilator.

      But yes, I agree. We desperately need a version that only infects the R gene.

  • WhatSay@slrpnk.net
    15·
    5 天前

    RFK Jr announced a new program to give underprivileged kids pet bats. Due to the demand, many are expected to come from China, but will not be affected by tariffs.

    Don’t worry, everything will work out as planned.

    • azi@mander.xyz
      7·
      3 天前

      Yes the last one came from bats (COVID), and the one before that (MERS), and the one before that (SARS)

      • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
        11·
        4 天前

        If you had an area prone to viruses in bats, wouldn’t it be easier to build a research lab near there, rather than far away? If that’s what ypu are researching?

        You’ll notice McMurdo is in Antarctica

      • azi@mander.xyz
        2·
        3 天前

        Most major Chinese cities have coronavirus labs ('member the SARS epidemic?) and epidemics usually become first noticeable in major cities.