Researchers have discovered a virus that could enter human cells in a similar way to COVID-19. But they caution it's much more poorly adapted to humans.

Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China said they discovered a new coronavirus in bats that enters cells using the same gateway as the virus that causes Covid-19.

The virus has a special feature, called a furin cleavage site, that helps it enter cells through the ACE2 receptor protein just like the Covid-19 virus.