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COPENHAGEN: Parts of Denmark will face new and stricter lockdown measures after health authorities discovered a mutated strain of coronavirus in minks and people in northern regions of the country.
The government said Wednesday that it would euthanize all minks in the Nordic country to prevent human contagion with a mutated coronavirus, which authorities say could be more resistant against future vaccines for people.
The decision to euthanize up to 17 million animals, which could cost the state more than $ 800 million, has prompted some lawmakers to demand to see the evidence behind the decision.
“We are asking that (the evidence) be sent, so that we can assess the technical basis,” a Liberal Party spokesman told TV2 on Wednesday.
Outbreaks on mink farms have persisted in Denmark, the world’s largest producer of mink fur, despite repeated efforts to euthanize infected animals since June.
Municipalities in northern Denmark, home to most of the country’s mink farms, will face movement restrictions across county borders, while restaurants and bars will be forced to close, the mayor of Vesthimmerland told Reuters. , Per Bach Laursen.
The health ministry declined to comment, but is expected to announce a series of new measures aimed at containing the new strain of the virus later on Thursday.
In a report released Wednesday, the State Serum Institute (SSI), the authority that deals with infectious diseases, said laboratory tests showed the new strain had mutations in its so-called spike protein, a part of the virus that invades and infects healthy cells. .
That poses a risk for future Covid-19 vaccines, which rely on inactivation of the spike protein, SSI said.
“There is a risk that vaccines targeting the beak protein may not provide optimal protection against new viruses occurring in mink,” he said.
