@skells
If there actually is another virus with such suspiciously convenient timing, then the conspiracy theories about biological warfare from China are probably true. Then again, Hantavirus also happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and it turned out to be nothing and was forgotten. I've learned that there are always deadly viruses spreading around, and most of them never make mainstream news because they're not contagious enough for anyone to care.
"Filoviruses, especially Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV), are notoriously pathogenic and capable of causing severe haemorrhagic fever diseases in humans with high lethality1,2. The risk of future outbreaks is exacerbated by the discovery of other bat-borne filoviruses of wide genetic diversity globally3,4,5. Here we report the characterization of a phylogenetically distinct bat filovirus, named Měnglà virus (MLAV). The coding-complete genome of MLAV shares 32–54% nucleotide sequence identity with known filoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis places this new virus between EBOV and MARV, suggesting the need for a new genus taxon. Importantly, despite the low amino acid sequence identity (22–39%) of the glycoprotein with other filoviruses, MLAV is capable of using the Niemann–Pick C1 (NPC1) as entry receptor. MLAV is also replication-competent with chimeric MLAV mini-genomes containing EBOV or MARV leader and trailer sequences, indicating that these viruses are evolutionally and functionally closely related. Finally, MLAV glycoprotein-typed pseudo-types transduced cell lines derived from humans, monkeys, dogs, hamsters and bats, implying a broad species cell tropism with a high risk of interspecies spillover transmission."
> high risk of interspecies spillover transmission.
uhuh.
this is a good point
the fact that a 2019 paper titled "Characterization of a filovirus (Měnglà virus) from Rousettus bats in China" has several names from the Wuhan Institute of Virology sets alarm bells ringing though