Animals getting infected with COVID-19 due to humans? 10,000 minks die at US farm

Nearly 10,000 minks have died at fur farms in the US following a series of Covid-19 outbreaks, with experts now indicating that the virus was transmitted from humans to these animals. The minks have died at fur farms in Utah and Wisconsin

According to a report in CNN, at least 8,000 minks have died in Utah alone to Covid-19. Minks are animals known for their fur.

"The virus first appeared in minks in August, shortly after farmworkers fell ill in July, according to Dr Dean Taylor, State Veterinarian of Utah," CNN reported.

It said that initial research has shown that the coronavirus "was transmitted from humans to animals". The report said experts have so far not identified any case where it was found that the virus transmitted from the animals to humans.

"Everything we've looked at in Utah suggests it (virus) has gone from the humans to the animals," CNN quoted Dr Dean Taylor as saying. He added, "It feels like a unidirectional path" but said further testing is on.

The problem is not just in Utah. In Wisconsin, authorities say nearly 2,000 minks have from the coronavirus.

The local administration has temporarily quarantined the fur farm where the deaths were reported.

In the past, such cases have been detected in the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark. "The US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed cases of SAR-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes Covid-19 -- in dozens of other animals, including dozens of dogs, cats, a lion, and a tiger," CNN reported.

The report said that it appears that minks infected with coronavirus are showing symptoms that are common to humans: difficulty in breathing and crusting around eyes.