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| Citizens take a walk with their dogs on a street in Jung-gu, Seoul, Sunday. / Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Concern is rising over possible COVID-19 transmissions between humans and animals after Korea reported its first case of a pet testing positive for the virus.
The health authorities confirmed, Sunday, that a kitten at a religious facility in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday.
The authorities assumed that the cat got the virus from the people who had been taking care of it ― a mother and daughter ― as both had tested positive earlier in the week. The cat has been placed in an isolation facility away from other animals.
The health ministry said through a press release, Monday, that although there have been reports of virus transmissions from human to pets in other countries, the possibility of pet to human transmission remained low.
A total of 135 animal infections involving six species had been reported across 19 countries, as of Nov. 20, 2020, according to a report from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Jan. 14.
Among them were 72 cats and 52 dogs. Several animals in zoological facilities including seven tigers and three lions in the U.S. were also on the list.
In Denmark, the virus wad transmitted from humans to minks at farms and back to humans again, mutating during the process, leading to a mass cull of millions of the animal in November.
The infected animals showed various symptoms including coughing, runny nose, diarrhea, and difficulty in breathing. While some animals recovered within a few weeks, several were euthanized due to their deteriorating condition, the report said.
Health experts viewed that there is a low risk of animals spreading the virus to people, but at the same time, warned that it is too early draw a definitive conclusion, considering the coronavirus originated in animals.
"COVID-19 is a zoonosis, a disease transmitted from animals to humans. Currently it seems that people are transmitting it to animals as the virus is widely spread among people, but we can't assure a zero possibility of the other way around," said Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University's Guro Hospital.
He added that the country should consider conducting COVID-19 tests on pets if their owners are confirmed to be infected with the virus.
The health ministry said it will soon introduce a detailed manual for pet owners, in cooperation with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural affairs, informing them what to do in the case of infection.
Meanwhile, according to the KDCA, the country reported 437 new cases for Sunday, including 405 local transmissions, raising the total caseload to 75,521.
