The World Health Organization’s (WHO) representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic on Monday said the international health body has confirmed the possibility of transmission of Covid-19 from humans to cats, dogs, raccoon dogs, minks, lions, and tigers, reported ANI News.
In an interview with Sputnik, Vujnovic said the coronavirus spreads mainly through human-to-human transmission, but evidence suggests the virus also transmits from human to animal as it is a zoonotic virus.
The WHO representative also said that an intermediate host has not yet been identified.
“Several animals — minks, dogs, domestic cats, lions, tigers, and raccoon dogs — who have come into contact with infected people, have tested positive for Covid-19,” Vujnovic added.
She said studies to find the effect of the virus on other species of animals is also underway.
The WHO health expert said that it is important to understand which animals are most susceptible to the virus so that the spread of the virus can be controlled.
Moreover, Vujnovic said that the WHO advises coronavirus infected people to limit their interaction with their pets and other animals. She further added that as the virus moves between humans and animals, there is a possibility of genetic modifications of the disease that could infect humans.
Late last month, the WHO released a long-awaited joint report on the origins of Covid-19. As per the report, the transmission from bats to another animal and subsequently to humans was most likely how the pandemic began.
Several countries including the United States, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom have criticized the report saying that the WHO team was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples.
In related news, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa crossed 4,261,645 as of Sunday. The death toll from the pandemic stood at 113,598, while 3,806,287 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.
According to the Africa CDC, African countries have so far received over 29.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from different sources, including the COVAX facility and through bilateral agreements outside the COVAX facility.
