Scientists predict more coronavirus pandemics as world recovers from COVID-19. 20 coronaviruses likely to infect humans.
Scientists have heralded the possibility of fresh coronavirus borne pandemics as the world recovers from COVID-19. Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli – better known as ‘Batwoman’ for her work – has predicted the possibility of several coronaviruses jumping the species barrier to infect human beings in coming years. The Wuhan-based researcher had previously made waves as the ‘lab-leak’ COVID-19 origin theory gained momentum.
As per a research paper published earlier this year, there are 20 types of coronaviruses that are “highly likely” to start infecting human beings at some point. Only eight of the hundreds of known coronavirus types can currently infect humans – including SARS and SARS-CoV-2.
“It is well known that there were eight humans CoV diseases. In an analysis of the host range, number of virus and year of emerging, we found six of them are in our high-risk viral lists…A particular attention should be paid to alphaCoV1 and betaCoV1. Both viral species were widely carried by domestic animals or pet animals,” reads an excerpt from the research conclusions.
Shi and her colleagues assessed 40 coronaviruses and their potential to infect humans for the research paper titled ‘Assessment and sero-diagnosis for coronaviruses with risk of human spillover’.
In total, the team classified half of the 40 coronavirus species under the category of “highly risky” after evaluating the possibility of human spillover. There is evidence that three more of these caused disease or infected other animal species, and six of them are previously known to have caused diseases that affected people.