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Original title: An article to understand | The new corona virus “passes from person to person”, we currently know
Due to the occurrence of multiple cases of the new mutated corona virus transmitted to humans by farm minks in Denmark, Denmark is stepping up the slaughter of farm minks in accordance with the government’s “slaughter order” this week. The number can go up to 17 million. The government also plans to promote legislation to restrict mink cultivation before the end of 2021; At the same time, it will update large-scale epidemic prevention and control measures, including 7 cities with more mink farms.
The World Health Organization said that in addition to Denmark, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden have also reported the discovery of new coronaviruses in mink farms, and the biosecurity of mink farms should be reviewed on a global scale.
So what is the timeline of “Diao Chuanren”? How does WHO currently judge? What is the impact on vaccine development? Check out the report from Xinhua News Agency reporters:
The chronology of the new corona virus
On November 4, the Danish government announced that a variant of the new corona virus found in Danish mink had been transmitted to 12 people. Prime Minister Frazer Rickson ordered the slaughter and burning of all mink grown in the country as soon as possible. The Danish Armed Forces, the National Guard and the Dan Emergency Management Agency are responsible for implementation.
On the evening of November 5, Danish Health Minister Magnus Hojnik said:The health department has been informed that the new coronavirus has been transmitted from mink to humans for some time. The National Serum Institute found that Denmark’s first case of “transmission from mink to humans” dates back to August this year.. Fortunately, of the 12 people who have been confirmed to have been infected with this variant of the new corona virus, there are no serious symptoms.
On November 6, WHO experts said at a press conference that they are currently cooperating with relevant parties to complete the first risk assessment of the “mink transmission” incident of the new Danish corona virus. According to another report,The 12 infected people mentioned above were found in North Jutland, Denmark, in September this year., The youngest is 7 years old and the oldest 79 years old, 8 of them are related to the mink industry and the other 4 are from the local community.
On November 7, Danish police said they would work hard to complete the slaughter of all mink farms in North Jutland within the next week.
On November 6, a farm in Denmark slaughtered around 3,000 breeding minks. Xinhua News Agency / AFP
According to Danish media reports, a total of 214 people in Denmark were found to be infected with the new corona virus associated with mink farms. Denmark’s National Serum Institute said a total of 5 new mink-related coronavirus variants were found in Denmark, and one of the special variants is the previously mentioned variant that infected 12 people.
In addition to the “slaughter order”, the Danish government has recently improved epidemic prevention measures on the North Jutland peninsula, where mink farms are concentrated: in addition to the existing mandatory indoor “mask order”, Public transport in the area is also suspended and people outside the area are not allowed to enter. ; Catering establishments are temporarily closed; colleges and universities implement online teaching; nucleic acid tests are performed on 280,000 residents in “high-risk areas.”
Denmark: a major producer and exporter of mink fur
Denmark is the largest mink producer in the world. In 2019, the export value (including mink processed by Danish countries) reached DKK 4.9 billion (approximately RMB 5.2 billion). There are more than 1,100 mink farms across the country, with a breeding population of around 17 million.
The “sort order” certainly hit the Danish mink industry hard. The Danish government has formulated a related compensation plan. The Danish Department of Commerce and Commerce estimates that government compensation and subsidies for the mink farming industry will exceed 10 billion Danish crowns (about 10.6 billion yuan).
On November 9, in Holstebro, Denmark, officials from the Ministry of Health and the armed forces dumped and buried the dead mink. Xinhua News Agency / European News Agency
What does “new variant” mean?
Lars Eric Larsson, professor of veterinary virology at the University of Copenhagen, noted that tracking and discovering virus variants requires analyzing and recording the genetic makeup of the virus. Denmark has a lot of data in this field. “It is possible that a variant of the virus has appeared in other parts of the world and we do not know.”
Danish professor of immunology Jan Proussgard believes thatSince only a relatively small number of people have been infected with the new variant of the coronavirus, tracing and cutting the chain of infection is relatively realistic and easy.The “new variants” will not have much room for continued survival.
The Danish health agency said:“New variant” does not mean it is more contagious or causes more severe symptoms than other variants of the coronavirus。
On November 7, in Friedrichshafen, Denmark, local residents undergo a nucleic acid test. Xinhua News Agency / AFP
Does it affect the vaccine?
What about other farm animals?
Hoynik mentioned on the night of the 5th that the mutation of the virus may have an impact on the effect of the new coronavirus vaccine in development. This statement has caused widespread concern.
In response, Sumia Swaminathan, the WHO chief scientist, said at a press conference on the 6th:It is too early to draw conclusions about how this mutation affects the spread of the new coronavirus, the severity of clinical symptoms, the immune response, and the effectiveness of the potential new coronavirus vaccine.。
Maria Van Kelkhoff, technical leader of the WHO health emergency project, also believes that the mutation of the new coronavirus gene is normal, and the organization has been tracking the mutation of the virus since the beginning of the new coronavirus pandemic. Certain mutations in the virus may have some impact, but the WHO still needs to conduct more research and evaluation, and related work is currently in progress.
According to Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Emergency Project,It will take longer to determine the spread of the new coronavirus in the mink population and between mink and people.The existing evidence does not show how this new mutant mink-spread coronavirus is different from the past in its behavior.“The characteristics of the virus may be slightly different, but it is still the same virus.”
Peter Ambarek, a virus expert at the World Health Organization’s Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses, said other farm animals have a much lower risk of contracting the new coronavirus than minks for two reasons:
First, studies have shown that farm animals such as pigs, chickens, and cattle are not as susceptible to the new coronavirus as minks.
Second, the current modern breeding system for the production of pork and chicken allows us to completely isolate the virus and protect the environment from contamination, which means that it is easier to prevent and control the new coronavirus from entering the breeding environment.
