MERS-CoV was suggested  to originate from bats, but the reservoir host fueling spillover to humans is unequivocally dromedary camels. Both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are closely related and originated in bats, who most likely serve as reservoir host for these two viruses. Whereas palm civets and racoon dogs have been recognized as intermediate hosts for zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV between bats and humans, the SARS-CoV-2 intermediate host remains unknown.