It’s been a long road for pets in the struggle to contain the coronavirus. In Hong Kong, one dog tested positive for the virus last week, but before everyone gets too worried, this is what happened.
According to CNN, Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) stated samples from a dog’s nasal and oral cavities had tested “weak positive” for the virus. His human owner had contracted the virus and was slowly recuperating. It was believed to have been the first time any dog in the world tested positive for novel coronavirus.
The dog had no symptoms, but was placed in quarantine and will be repeatedly tested until he comes back negative. It has been “strongly advised” that pets of people who have the virus be quarantined for two weeks. The World Health Organization and Hong Kong’s AFCD both agree there is no evidence that cats or dogs can be infected with the virus.
Here is what may have happened, however. The virus can survive on surfaces and objects, but how long the virus can linger is still unknown. In China, the central bank has been destroying money for fear of the virus lingering on the paper cash. The AFCD is testing to see whether the dog has been infected with the virus, and to see if it is also possible the virus could have contaminated the pet.
“Present evidence suggests that dogs are no more of a risk of spreading (coronavirus) than inanimate objects such as door handles…,” had been written in a letter to Hong Kong authorities.
While it is also agreed that dogs and cats can get coronaviruses, they are not the same as the virus associated with this current outbreak. These strains are a completely different type and don’t cause respiratory problems. The SARS outbreak in 2003 is a type of coronavirus. One scientist at the time stated the virus was found in a cat, but there has never been any evidence the cat infected any human.
There is nothing wrong with quarantining your pet, however good hygiene is thus far the best way to avoid the virus. Wash your hands after touching pets. For those very concerned, it might do well to wipe the dog’s paws with antiseptic wipes after they have walked outside.
Sadly, it has been the spread of fear which has led to people killing their pets, townspeople beating pets to death or abandoning their pets. In Wuhan, the Chinese City at the center of the epidemic, most scientists are now agreeing the virus (both SARS and Covid-19) originated in bats.
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