A 9-year-old lioness at a Chennai zoo succumbed to Coronavirus, which is reported to be the first death of an animal from Covid in the country. Since then, officials have alerted zoos across India and have also tested a group of elephants to see if any among them has Covid infection.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, was first identified in humans in 2019 and has affected millions of lives across the world. Though, it is believed that the virus originated from bats, yet the immediate host(s) of SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been identified.
Several studies propose that the virus is predominantly spread between people through respiratory droplets and close contact, but there are also examples of transmission between humans and animals. Many animals such as minks, dogs, domestic cats, lions and tigers who came in contact with humans have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Can animals get infected with Covid-19?
Recently, animals getting Coronavirus infection has been reported widely. According to the US government agency, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) companion animals like cats and dogs, big cats in zoos or sanctuaries, gorillas in zoos, mink in farms, and a few other mammals can be infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, which animals can get infected is not known yet. In the US a tiger at a New York Zoo got infected by the Coronavirus. Similarly, other zoo animals like lions, pumas, cougars, snow leopards have shown signs of COVID-19. Most of these animals got infected after coming in contact with humans.
“Novel Coronavirus can spread from people to animals in some situations, especially during close contact,” said CDC, however, more data is needed to assert the claim.
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Can humans get the Covid virus from animals?
The hypothesis of the Covid virus getting transmitted from bats to humans is being researched, on which the CDC says, "at this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading Sars-CoV-2 to people... the risk of animals spreading Covid-19 to people is considered to be low".
Having said that, recent cases reported from Netherlands, Denmark, and Poland have shown Coronavirus spreading to humans from Mink and other animals.
Cases were reported in the US too but CDC says "infected workers likely introduced Sars-CoV-2 to mink on the farms, and the virus then began to spread among the mink".
How can you protect your pets from Covid-19?
Given the uncertainty of the virus, it is crucial to protect humans and animals from getting the deadly infection and to put an end to the transmission chain. If you have a pet, the caretakers must ensure that the pets are under the same precautions like physical distancing and sanitization as humans have been prescribed for protecting themselves from the virus.
“Treat pets as you would other human family members – do not let pets interact with people outside the household. If a person inside the household becomes sick, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets,” the CDC said.
Notably, if your pet gets infected it might not show any symptoms and may even recover fully.
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While there is no evidence to show that the virus can transmit to people from the skin, fur, or hair of pets, therefore, do not bathe or clean your pet with chemical disinfectants, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or other products, such as hand sanitiser, counter-cleaning wipes, or other industrial or surface cleaners. Before taking any such step, consultation with your veterinarian is important if you have any doubts about the appropriate products for bathing or cleaning your pet.