What would happen if our four-legged friends become a vessel for a more deadly Covid variant? The question of whether coronavirus can spread from animals to humans has long been debated.
Many scientists wonder if another dangerous mutation could emerge in animals and be passed on to humans. What is the scientific basis for this? Is it necessary to be concerned?
SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid) is thought to be bat-borne.
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Evidence that cats could be infected with SARS-CoV-2 began to emerge as early as April 2020.
Under certain conditions, the study found that cats could spread the infection to other cats within a month of becoming infected themselves.
Scientists from all over the world have been working tirelessly to determine whether or not the transmission of Covid infections from humans to animals is a significant problem.
So far, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals has been discovered in dogs, mink, ferrets, and other species, among other things.
In some cases, infecting certain species with SARS-CoV-2 can result in actual disease and resulting health problems for the animals.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there appears to be limited evidence of virus transmission between pets and their owners.
According to their findings, there is evidence of human-to-cat transmission, but very little evidence of cats passing the virus on to their owners.
Furthermore, there is little evidence that cats can spread the virus to other cats in non-laboratory settings, such as in everyday situations.
CDC wrote on their website:
“Based on the available information to date, the risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people is considered to be low.”
But the CDC added a note of caution:
“We are still learning about this virus, but we know that it can spread from people to animals in some situations, especially during close contact.
“More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19.”
According to the CDC’s findings, even if a new deadly variant emerges in animals, it is unlikely that it will spread to humans.
When the virus has been transmitted between animals and humans, it has only been identified as humans passing it on to cats, not the other way around.
However, if you’re worried that your pet might be infected, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a list of animals with SARS-CoV2 susceptibility estimates.
These studies rely heavily on experimental data and exclude the majority of animals.
As these studies are in still their infancy, studies on a wide range of animals may not have been made yet.
However, certain popular pets, such as dogs, appear to be immune to the virus, according to this list.
Your feline friend, on the other hand, may be at a higher risk of contracting the virus because they appear to be more susceptible.
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Golden Syrian hamsters, marmosets, and macaques are among the animals listed by the WHO as having a high susceptibility.
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