The Ministry of Public Health yesterday confirmed the discovery of a new coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, by a laboratory in China but said no human infections have been recorded as yet.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, said yesterday the virus found by a team of Chinese researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a variant within the Merbecovirus subgenus.
"It is not considered a new strain or mutant virus. Instead, it is a virus in the coronavirus family, which has many subspecies," he said, adding that the research team found that HKU5-CoV-2 can enter human cells using the same gateway as the earlier SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), prompting fears of another pandemic.
"However, there is currently no outbreak or epidemiological data related to the HKU5-CoV-2 strain in humans. Therefore, the public does not need to worry at this time," he said.
Dr Opas said Thailand is part of a strong international disease surveillance and control system, which works to identify and monitor the emergence of virus strains that cause disease in humans and has been quick to respond to the situation.
Currently, the predominant strain among Covid-19 patients in Thailand remains Omicron JN.1.
"Although the HKU5-CoV-2 strain does not yet appear to have spread, the recommended preventive measures are no different from other strains of viruses that cause respiratory diseases, such as influenza, Covid-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)," he said
Dr Opas advises people to avoid crowded places, wear a mask if they have respiratory symptoms, and wash their hands frequently with soap.
He said the search for new viruses in bats, such as those in China, Japan and the United States, is due to the risks posed by coronaviruses' tendency to mutate.
Once a new variant is discovered, its properties are studied should the need to develop a vaccine arise. However, the risk of direct infection from bats to humans is still low to moderate because the amount of virus found in bats is usually too small to be passed on, he said.
"The chances of people coming into contact with bats is very low, and infection among humans typically requires an intermediary animal," he noted.
