Could your pet infect you with COVID-19?
APRIL
9, 2020
Yes, a tiger at the Bronx Zoo
tested positive for the novel coronavirus. And yes, a cat in
Belgium had traces of the virus’s genome in its stool and vomit.
But to be perfectly clear: There is no evidence that pets
can spread COVID-19 to people. One study, from a veterinary diagnostic
lab, tested thousands of samples from dogs and cats, and found no cases of the
disease. And an early version of a report on
a small experiment testing whether the virus could spread between cats found
that it can—but it does not suggest that cats are an important vector in
spreading disease among humans. With more than 1.4 million cases of
COVID-19 globally, experts say that if pets were a significant vector, we’d
know by now.
“This is almost exclusively a human-to-human transmitted
disease,” Michael San Filippo, a
spokesman for the American Veterinary Medicine Association, told NBC affiliates.
“The risk to pets is very low, with only a handful of cases of the virus
appearing in companion animals, and no cases of people getting sick from their
pets.”
There is a small chance that a sick person could give the
virus to certain animals. We now know tigers (and probably lions) are
susceptible to it, and cats and dogs as well. But the number of reported
human-to-animal cases is very small.
Still, to be extra safe, if you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, experts say you should restrict
your contact with pets and other animals, just as you should with people.
At least until we know more. Scientists are rushing to figure out what
other species the virus might be able to infect, but there are
so many factors to consider, it’ll be awhile before we know for sure.
In the meantime, washing your hands before and after
interacting with a pet—same as you would with a fellow human—is the safest
thing to do.
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