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Nearly 10,000 mink in Utah reportedly died due to Covid-19, leading to quarantines at nine fur farms affected by the outbreak.
State veterinarian Dean Taylor reportedly said the coronavirus had primarily affected older minks, “wiping out 50% of the breeding colonies.” The younger minks were largely unharmed, he said.
The first known cases of Covid-19 among American minks were in Utah, and their diagnoses were confirmed in mid-August, the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. Authorities learned that minks were contracting coronavirus after farm workers tested positive, Taylor told NBC News.
“After unusually large numbers of minks died on the farms, the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory completed necropsies on several of the affected animals,” the USDA said. The samples of the procedures were sent to two laboratories and finally Covid-19 was confirmed.
Earlier this month, authorities also confirmed coronavirus cases among mink in Wisconsin and Michigan.
The Dutch mink was first infected with coronavirus by its handlers in April. The government identified two cases in which humans had been infected by sick animals in May, the only known animal-to-human transmissions since the global outbreak began in China.
Research indicates that people with Covid-19 can infect animals, and some cases of the opposite have been identified in Europe. In May, the government identified two cases in which humans had been infected by sick animals. At the time, they were the only known animal-to-human transmissions since the global outbreak began in China.
However, Utah agricultural authorities have held that animal-to-human infection is unlikely, stating: “There is currently no evidence that animals, including mink, play a significant role in transmitting the virus to humans. . As it stands now, due to limited information and research, the risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2 to humans is considered low. “
Humans and minks have symptoms similar to Covid-19: respiratory distress. More than 214,000 humans have died after contracting the coronavirus in the US, and more than 7.7 million people across the country have been infected.
“Minks show open-mouthed breathing, discharge from the eyes and nose, and are not sick for several days before dying,” Taylor explained. “Usually they die the next day.”
Taylor said no minks were euthanized in the Utah outbreak. Agriculture and public health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control, were coordinating with mink farm employees to stop the spread of the coronavirus, he said.
“Once the final tests are done, we will create a state plan to prevent this virus from spreading to more farms,” Taylor told NBC News. “It’s much easier to prevent it from happening and then to prevent it from happening at once.
According to Fur Commission USA, the largest mink farmer association in the country, there are at least 245 mink farms in 22 states. Utah is the second largest fur producer in the country, according to Science.
Covid-19-infected minks were first discovered in the Netherlands, on several farms that “also saw an increase in mink deaths,” the USDA said. There were subsequent outbreaks in Spain and Denmark. Since then, these countries have killed more than 1 million farm minks as a precaution.
The number of animals around the world that are reported to have Covid-19 is “small … mainly after close contact with people with Covid-19,” USDA officials said.
