New research shows 24 bat coronaviruses in a small China cluster

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A team of scientists working on the origin of the deadly coronavirus that spread globally from Wuhan, has found nearly two dozen unknown bat coronaviruses. These were found within a short area of just four sq km in southwestern China.<br />
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Four of these viruses were related to the strain that caused Covid-19.<br />
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The new discoveries were reported by the <em>South China Morning Post</em> (SCMP) through a scientific paper published last week. The latest research was conducted by Professor Shi Weifong of Shandong First Medical University.<br />
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The outbreak of the coronavirus infection in China around December 2019, has led to speculation that the virus has been transmitted to humans from bats. There has been a global focus on Chinese scientists who have been spending time in caves researching bats, putting themselves perilously close to getting the infections, often without adequate protection.<br />
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Shi's research team, which was surprised by their discovery, warned that the discovery of so many unknown species of viruses in such a small area was unexpected. China has been pushing a lot of research into bats and various researches have shown that viruses are constantly evolving and new ones are continually emerging.<br />
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The <em>SCMP </em>article said that tropical areas with hot climate and abundant wildlife are hotspots for new viruses to emerge and proliferate.<br />
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The spread of the novel coronavirus from Wuhan had two possible sources – a seafood market where a major cluster of outbreaks had occurred, and also the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), where a few global scientists alleged the virus had escaped from.<br />
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The spread of the virus and China's secretive behaviour around it led to  a downward spiral of China's foreign relations. Former US President Donald Trump began calling it the "China Virus'' while countries like Australia wanted an independent international investigation into its origins.</p>
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The <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">Worldometers </a>website says global Covid-19 infections have touched 120,831,287, with deaths touching 2,673,695 while 97,475,831 people have recovered.</p>