"Chinese Scientists Discover New Bat Coronavirus Linked to Pangolins with Same Mutation as COVID-19"

Chinese scientists have discovered a new bat coronavirus, TyRo-CoV-162275, that possesses a furin cleavage site, similar to the one found in SARS-CoV-2. The virus is up to 98% identical to coronaviruses found in pangolins, which were previously suspected of transmitting Covid-19 to humans. The study, conducted between 2016 and 2017, collected samples from bats in Yunnan and Guangdong provinces, far from the epicenter of the pandemic in Wuhan. Some scientists see this discovery as evidence that Covid-19-like viruses can emerge naturally in the wild and pass between species, supporting the theory of a natural origin. However, others remain skeptical, pointing out that the newly-discovered virus is not closely related to SARS viruses, including Covid-19. The debate over the origins of Covid-19 continues, with no definitive evidence either way.