Pet dog in Hong Kong tests ‘weak positive’ for coronavirus, officials say
A pet dog in Hong Kong tested “weak positive” for the coronavirus, officials said Friday, with more testing needed to determine if the dog has actually caught the virus.
The dog’s owner is infected with COVID-19 and being treated on the densely populated territory off mainland China, Hong Kong officials said. The dog is not showing any symptoms, they said
As of Thursday there have been more than 82,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and more than 2,800 deaths globally, according to the World Health Organization.
COVID-19 cases outside China are on the rise, raising concern about a broader spread of the virus even as cases slow in China, according to the WHO. The United States reported its first case of the virus with no known origin in Northern California Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said authorities picked up the dog after its owner fell ill. “The nasal and oral cavity samples were tested weak positive to COVID-19 virus,” he said.
The dog has been put in quarantine for monitoring and testing, officials said. They say they don’t know if the dog is actually infected or if the positive test “is a result of environmental contamination of the dog’s mouth and nose.”
“At present, the AFCD does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people,” the spokesman said.
The department is advising people with confirmed COVID-19 infections to put their pets in quarantine for 14 days.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 7:44 AM with the headline "Pet dog in Hong Kong tests ‘weak positive’ for coronavirus, officials say."
