Hundreds of mink infected with the coronavirus have allegedly escaped from fur farms in Denmark reports The Guardian .
Sten Mortensen, a specialist at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, explained that several thousand minks escape from there every year. He fears that in 2020, about five percent of animals may have been infected with the coronavirus. It can be passed on to other animals from infected minks and mutate again. If this happens, it will be extremely difficult to control the spread of the virus.
Mortensen added that minks tolerate the disease well, the risk of death is quite low. Experts in the United States expressed the hope that a vaccine against COVID-19 for these animals will soon be ready – however, animal protection organizations may oppose its use.
November 5 in Denmark decided to destroy all minks on fur farms to prevent the spread mutated coronavirus. In these animals, an infection was found that spreads to humans and contributes to the weakening of the ability to form antibodies. There are currently 12 registered people with this virus. At the end of the month, the killed mink “rose” from the ground: the bodies of animals swelled as a result of the formation of animal gases in them and rose to the surface.
World Health Organization confirmed the susceptibility of minks to coronavirus, making them dangerous to humans. Therefore, there is a risk that the population of these animals could facilitate transmission of the virus.