Cat contracts coronavirus in England

[Sobia Anjum]

Science and amazing news

A pet cat has contracted coronavirus in England, the government said on Monday in the first confirmed case of an animal being infected with the virus in Britain.

The UK environment ministry said "all available evidence" suggested the cat had infected with the COVID-19 from its owners, who had both tested positive for virus. 

The ministry further informed that, the cat and the humans made a complete recovery and there was no transmission to any other animals or people in the household. 

"This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm,” said Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England. 

"The investigation into this case suggests that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round," Doyle added. 

"Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for COVID-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England," Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said. 

"This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within a few days." 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it will investigate the possibility of cat-to-human infection, but its chief scientist has said there is "very little risk" from domestic animals.

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