NEW YORK – Researchers have isolated a coronavirus from Malayan pangolins that is highly similar to SARS-CoV-2, suggesting pangolins may have served as an intermediate host for the virus.
While bats are thought to be the reservoir for a number of coronaviruses, and SARS-CoV-2 has high sequence similarity to the bat coronavirus RaTG13, it's unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 has other hosts, such as pangolins.