CNN to Air Special on The Connection Between Bats and COVID-19
BATS: The Mystery Behind Covid-19 Airs Sunday, June 14 at 10pm ET on CNN
On Sunday, June 14, CNN will air a special hour BATS: The Mystery Behind Covid-19, which examinesthe possible connection between bats and many deadly human viruses, including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Hosted by Anderson Cooper, the special takes a close look at the mysterious mammals and how human infringement on their territory may have contributed to the transmission of diseases to humans. Many scientists currently believe that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 originated in a community of Horseshoe bats in southeastern China and that bats may hold the key to finding a treatment for Covid-19.
With the help of virus hunters and experts, the special explores how bats eat, live and evolve. The special features interviews with bat-borne-disease experts including: Eco Health Alliance president, Peter Deszak, PhD; Scientific American Editor-in-Chief Laura Helmuth PhD; American Museum of Natural History Mammalogy Curator and co-author of Bats: A World of Science and Mystery, Nancy Simmons PHD ; Evolutionary biologist, Dan Riskin, PHD, and New Jersey’s “Batman” Joseph D’Angeli. The special will also include interviews with Dr. Shi Zheng-Li, known in China at “Bat Woman.”
David Culver, CNN’s correspondent based in China, gives his personal account of the early days of the outbreak and a description of Wuhan’s wet markets, which some experts believe catalyzed the cross-species transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
BATS: The Mystery Behind Covid-19 will stream live for subscribers on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android. It can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, SamsungSmart TV, Chromecast and Android TV). The special will also be available on demand to subscribers via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms and CNN mobile apps.
Press Contact:
Shimrit Sheetrit, Shimrit.sheetrit@turner.com