Denmark Taking Steps to Stop 'New Animal Reservoir' for COVID-19, Says WHO

World

November 6th, 1:47pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Photo: REUTERS

Denmark is taking steps to prevent the establishment of “a new animal reservoir for this virus”, the WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove said on Friday, after the country reported widespread coronavirus outbreaks in mink farms. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s top emergencies expert, told the same Geneva news briefing that other sectors, such as pigs and poultry, had “very strict” biosecurity in place to prevent viruses jumping the species barrier. Denmark’s State Serum Institute, which deals with infectious diseases, has found mink-related strands of the novel coronavirus in 214 people since June. Early this week, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the government wants to cull all minks on farms to minimize the risk of the weasel-like mammals’ re-transmitting COVID-19 to humans. “It is very, very serious,” Frederiksen said. “Thus, the mutated virus in minks can have devastating consequences worldwide.”

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2609506/denmark-taking-steps-stop-new-animal-reservoir-covid-19-says-who