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DENMARK, the world’s largest producer of mink fur, said today that it would euthanize all minks in the country after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected in mink farms and spread to people.
The mutation “could pose a risk that future vaccines (against coronavirus) will not work as they should,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a news conference.
“It is necessary to sacrifice all minks.”
Denmark’s police chief, Thorkild Fogde, said they would start the slaughter “as soon as possible” but admitted that, with 15 to 17 million minks spread over 1,080 farms, it was “a very big company”.
The World Health Organization said that the new coronavirus spreads primarily through person-to-person transmission, but that “there is evidence of transmission at the human-animal interface.”
Several animals, including cats and dogs, have tested positive for the virus and cases have been reported from mink farms in the Netherlands and Spain, as well as in Denmark.
“In some cases, minks that were infected by humans have transmitted the virus to other people. These are the first reported cases of animal-to-human transmission, ”said the WHO in a statement sent to AFP.
The new coronavirus has been detected in 207 Danish mink farms, including some cases with a mutated version that has been confirmed to spread to humans.
Health authorities have also concluded that the mutated virus “is not inhibited by antibodies to the same degree as the normal virus.”
“Studies have shown that mutations can affect current candidates for a Covid-19 vaccine,” said Health Minister Magnus Heunicke.
“It is a threat to the development of vaccines against the coronavirus. That is why it is important that we make a national effort, “he added.
While most of the cases had been observed in the northern part of the Jutland region, all minks in the country would still be euthanized.
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The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is developing new technical guidance on animal health, including testing and quarantine, the WHO said.
In an attempt to curb the coronavirus, Denmark last month lowered the limit for public gatherings to 10 people from 50 and banned the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m., while masks are mandatory in all indoor public spaces.
The country has registered 50,530 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 729 deaths.
© AFP 2020
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