Hong Kong to kill hundreds of small animals over COVID-19 case
Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday that they plan to kill about 2,000 small animals including hamsters after several tested positive for coronavirus at a pet store where an employee was also infected.
The city will also stop the sale of hamsters and the import of small mammals, according to officials from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The pet shop employee tested positive for the delta variant on Monday, and several hamsters imported from the Netherlands at the store tested positive as well.
Hong Kong has maintained its zero-COVID-19 strategy focused on eliminating the disease. Officials said it may be an example of animal-to-human COVID-19 transmission.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), animals do not appear to play a significant role in spreading the coronavirus. But Hong Kong authorities said they are not ruling out transmission between animals and humans.
"We cannot exclude the possibility that the shopkeeper was infected from the hamsters,” said Edwin Tsui, a controller at the Centre for Health Protection.
While this coronavirus most likely jumped from animals to humans in the first place, the outbreak became a pandemic because the virus spreads so easily between people. Minks are the only known animals to have caught the virus from people and spread it back, according to Dr. Scott Weese at Ontario Veterinary College.
Leung Siu-fai, director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said during a news conference that owners should keep hamsters at home, and not take them out. "All pet owners should observe good personal hygiene, and after you have been in contact with animals and their food, you should wash your hands," he said. Read More…
