Virus similar to one causing COVID-19 found in UK bats by 22-year-old student

A new coronavirus that is similar to the one behind the COVID-19 pandemic has been found in bats in the UK — though is not currently a threat to humans, according to a report.

The virus, RhGB01, was first discovered by a 22-year-old ecology undergraduate, Ivana Murphy, while collecting bat droppings for her final year dissertation, according to the Times of London. While it is the first time such a virus has been found in bats in Britain, it is similar to the one behind the pandemic, which is also long thought to have originated in bats, the report noted.