(Combating new crown pneumonia) Hong Kong's first case of dog infection with new crown virus
China News Agency, Hong Kong, March 5 (Reporter Wang Laiyi) Xue Hanzong, Assistant Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, reported on the 5th that a dog with a diagnosis of New Crown Pneumonia in Hong Kong had a weak positive response to New Crown Virus and became a global First case of dogs infected with new crown virus.
Xue Hanzong introduced that on February 27 and 28, the dog's oral and nasal samples were weakly positive for neocoronavirus, and on March 2 only the nasal samples were weakly positive. After discussions with experts from the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong, the agency agreed that the dogs were low-level infections, the first case in the world that the dogs were positive for the new crown virus, and they had notified the World Health Organization.
Xue Hanzong emphasized that the authorities repeated the test several times within 6 days, and believed that the probability of false positives was extremely low, and he believed that dogs had viral genes in them. The dogs did not show any symptoms and are still in animal isolation centres.
Xue Hanzong said that the department had obtained the dog's oral, nasal, rectal and fecal samples, and obtained dog serum for serum virus testing. The University of Hong Kong is also analyzing the gene map of dog virus for analysis and comparison with confirmed patients and checking for antibodies in the serum.
Xue Hanzong pointed out that there is no information and cases showing that the virus can infect people through dogs, and the public is advised to submit dogs of confirmed patients to the Quarantine and Quarantine Department of Fisheries and Conservation. He emphasized that human masks are not suitable for dogs, but hygiene is very important, and citizens are advised to pay attention to hygiene when taking dogs out. (Finish)