A statement from the Ministry of the Environment said the cat presented no risk (Representation)
London:
A pet cat has become the first UK animal to be infected with coronavirus, health officials said on Monday, insisting there was “no evidence” that it could transmit the disease.
The case was confirmed by the UK’s chief veterinarian after laboratory tests carried out earlier this month in Surrey, near London.
Officials said “all available evidence” indicated the cat likely contracted the disease from its owners who tested positive for COVID-19.
A statement from the Ministry of the Environment said the cat presented no risk.
“Although this is the first confirmed case of animal infection with the coronavirus strain in the UK, there is no evidence to suggest the animal was involved in the transmission of the disease,” said he declared.
The cat was first diagnosed by a private vet as having the feline herpes virus, but the sample was also subsequently tested for COVID-19 and tested positive.
Chief veterinarian Christine Middlemiss called it a “very rare event”, adding that there was “no evidence to suggest that animals directly transmit the virus to humans”.
Although this is the first such case in the UK, there have been reports of other animals developing the virus.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
