The first cases of new coronavirus found in minks in the United States have been reported in Utah, according to several reports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Service Laboratory announced that all five cases were found at two mink farms in Utah.
Necropsies were performed on several dead minks from the farms by the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory after receiving exceptionally high reports of mink deaths, the agency said in the release. Both farms are completely quarantined, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
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The first cases of new coronavirus found in mink in the United States have been reported at two farms in Utah
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“These are the first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in mink in the United States. The affected farms also reported positive cases of COVID-19 in people who had contact with the mink, ”the news release said.
In addition to the US, SARS-CoV-2 was found at several mink farms in the Netherlands, and at mink farms in Spain and Denmark the statement said, adding, “the USDA has closely monitored these outbreaks and has recently issued a document with indications for mink farms in ‘ the United States. “
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The health agency stated: “There is currently no evidence that animals, including mink, play a key role in spreading the virus to humans. Due to current limited information, the risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2 to humans is considered low. ”
The USDA said in the statement that further studies are needed to understand how COVID-19 affects different species and if animals can contribute to the spread of the virus.
Fox Salt Lake City’s Fox TV-13 said Utah is the nation’s second – largest producer of minks.
