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Beware of dog owners! According to a new Corona study, dog owners are said to have a 78 percent higher rate of contracting Covid-19. This finding is based on a survey by the University of Granada and the Andalusian School of Public Health in Spain.
For the study, which was published in the journal “Environmental Research,” the researchers interviewed 2,086 people in Spain, about 40 percent of whom were between 40 and 54 years old. Scientists wanted to know what respondents did during the pandemic and whether they were infected with the coronavirus. The aim of the study: In this way, the researchers wanted to find out which activity is associated with the highest risk of corona infection.
Researchers warn of corona infection in dog owners
“The results of our research warn of an increase in infection among dog owners,” said Spanish researcher Cristina Sánchez González, a professor at the University of Granada. Homeowners don’t have to worry about their beloved four-legged friend. Although cases of corona have already been confirmed in both dogs and cats, the animals apparently did not become ill. However, researchers believe that dogs infected with the virus can catch it or give it to their owners by touching contaminated surfaces in public.
The reason for the higher prevalence among dog owners has yet to be clarified. “In view of the currently scarce resources for the diagnosis of Sars-CoV-2 in humans, the possibility of a diagnosis in dogs is extremely unlikely,” says Sánchez González.
The risk of infection for dog owners is similar to that for office workers.
The scientists who conducted the study recommend that dog owners pay special attention to hygiene during and after walking. “In the middle of a pandemic and in the absence of an effective treatment or a vaccine, preventive hygiene is the only salvation. These measures should also be applied to dogs, which, according to our study, seem to increase the risk of becoming infected with the virus, either directly or indirectly ”, explains the professor.
The Spanish study also revealed new findings on the increased risk of infection. Consequently, dog owners are at risk similar to that of people who have to work in the office rather than the home office. According to the study, the risk for office workers increases by 76 percent. Food delivery from the supermarket is even more dangerous. The risk increases by 94 percent and is therefore significantly more dangerous than buying directly from the store.
The conclusion is that 4.7 percent, that is, around 98 of those surveyed, were infected with Covid-19. (wheel)
