COVID-19 in Animals? Swiss Experts Say Social Distancing Among Pets is Important

The entire planet has been affected by the novel coronavirus. Wearing a mask and keeping social distance are the most common and successful precautionary steps against the virus. 

These interventions have been confined to human beings only. Now though, the process of social distancing in animals is still advisable, as per health experts.

Health specialists in Switzerland have reported in a study reported by The Daily Mail that pets can keep social distances to prevent the deadly virus' contraction. 

Dogs should hold a space of two meters from each other and cats should be kept indoors. This hypothesis is reinforced by evidence that suggests that, like other mammals, like ferrets and mink, domesticated animals, like cats and hamsters, will acquire the virus.

"The [American] Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise pet owners to apply social distancing rules to their pets," said Johannes Kaufmann, a veterinarian from the clinic, told The Local, per Daily Mail.

Spread Through Nasal Secretions

He added that there was a possibility that the virus would live on the pet's fur in their 'nasal secretions' for a long time.

Any viruses, like the coronavirus, which is believed to have 'jumped' from animals to humans by an infected animal - probably a pangolin - may be spread from animals to humans.

Also, both SARS and MERS are known to have started in livestock. Their roots were related, respectively, to civet cats and camels.

Until more is learned regarding the impact of coronavirus on livestock, the CDC advises people to 'handle pets as any family member.'

Cats should be held indoors, it states, although dogs should keep at least two meters (6.5 feet) from other dogs.

Volker Thiel, a virologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, complied with the suggestions made by AniCura. In theory, Thiel explained that social distance is as helpful for pets as it is for humans to guarantee that pets cannot spread the virus to humans or other species.

Experts shared their fear that the coronavirus would mutate and be more or more dangerous to humans.

Although most mutations are likely to be innocent, SARS-CoV-2 may recombine and become extra-harmful with another coronavirus. Conservation experts are still concerned about the effect on already distressed animal populations.

Is It Legit, Though?

There is, however, no recorded data to date that states that humans have acquired from their pets the novel coronavirus. Cases of animals in zoos and national parks testing positive for COVID-19 have come to light, but no transmission cases from pet owners to pet owners have been recorded to date.

Last week, after several coronavirus outbreaks were reported among minks on fur farms, Denmark started killing around 17 million of its mink population.

In the meantime, a local Swiss newspaper announced that the Federal Food Protection and Veterinary Office (FSVO) is in the process of researching animal infection risks to humans. 

ALSO READ: Researchers May Have Found the Mother of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes

Check out more news and information on COVID-19 on Science Times.