SALT LAKE CITY – At least five minks at two Utah mink farms have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the animal virus linked to COVID-19 in humans.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Service Laboratory confirmed the findings earlier this week after local labs became aware of a large number of deaths in the mink population at the two farms.
Mink are already known to be susceptible to the virus and tests conducted in Utah, Washington and Iowa, where the National Laboratory is located, have proven that infection is rampant among small animals.
More people believe that mink is infected because two to three mink die every day in Utah, said Utah Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Bradie Jill Jones. She did not identify the affected farms and said the infected animals at the site will be composted to contain the outbreak.
It is the first detection of the new coronavirus in species in the U.S., although the virus has been found in other animals, including four cats and two dogs in Utah, as well as in other states, according to the National Laboratory. In early April, at least one tiger and one lion were also found at a zoo in New York SARS-CoV-2.
“Currently, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The USDA reports, “A small number of animals worldwide have been reported to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, mostly after close contact with humans with COVID-19.”
The hit mink in Utah has been quarantined to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
“My office is dedicated to incorporating SARS-CoV-2 by implementing stricter biosecurity measures where necessary,” said Utah State Veterinarian Dr. Dean Taylor, who added that the early detection of the virus in the species “will prove beneficial in the long run.”
COVID-19 was also confirmed in staff members on the farms, although the Utah Department of Agriculture believes there is no evidence that the mink played a role in transmitting the virus to humans.
Utah is the second largest producer of mink fur among more than 200 farms in the U.S., according to the USDA, which reported that the state produced 556,710 furs in 2019.
Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, has called for a ban on trade in fur farming because she believes animal health and human health are intertwined. Placements, she said, should be treated to prevent future outbreaks.
“There is no doubt that the fur industry is in rapid decline,” she said in a Monday blog post. “The pandemic adds one more obvious reason to speed up its distance, in the United States and around the world.”
There are concerns that Utah mink infection could spread rapidly across farms, as in Europe. Early research there pointed to human-to-animal transmission.
“Mink restricted to fur farms are wild animals. It has now been confirmed that the COVID-19 virus has the potential to infect wildlife in North America, ”said Nick Atwood, an animal rights activist in Minneapolis who has been following the federal government for years. He said the government should introduce reporting requirements for mink farmers.
“People who work with mink need to take extra precautions against virus transmissions,” he said.
Other species of animals in the US have tested positive with the virus, but these are the first confirmed mink cases in the country. SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in mink in the Netherlands in June, and later in Spain and Denmark. Tens of thousands of mink have been destroyed out of a precaution that they might spread the disease.
