The dog of a coronavirus patient has test positive for COVID-19. Although the results were "weak" the dog has still been put in quarantine. A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that it is not immediately clear if the animal tested positive due to "environmental contamination" of the dog's mouth and nose.
"The spokesman said that to ensure public and animal health, the department strongly advise mammalian pets of patients confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 virus to be put under quarantine by the AFCD. The pets will be delivered to the designated animal keeping facilities of the AFCD for quarantine and veterinary surveillance for 14 days. Samples will be collected for testing of COVID-19 virus as appropriate."
Still, the department has stated that it does not have evidence that pets can be infected with the virus or can be a source of infection to people as of yet.
The dog does not have any relevant symptoms, according to the AFCD.
The infection, called 2019-nCoV, is said to originate from a Huanan seafood market selling live animals, however researchers are still confirming this. BBC reports that out of the first 99 patients treated for coronavirus at the Jinyintan Hospital, in Wuhan, 49 had a direct connection to the market. Coronavirus is not just one illness, it is a large collection of viruses including SARS and MERS (known to have killed thousands over the last couple of decades) that attack the respiratory system.
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