BEIJING -- It is likely that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, originated in bats and jumped to humans, according to recent media reports.

When viruses jump from one host to another, they must mutate to adapt to the new host, which means the viruses will become better at replicating themselves in the new host, US media outlet Galveston County Daily News reported Tuesday.

"Occasionally, the right combination of mutations occurs and starts a pandemic," the report said.

Early ancestors of the novel coronavirus have existed in bats for hundreds of years, and "developed the ability to infect other mammals," the report added.

"That explains why SARS-CoV-2 was so transmissible," said the report.