First Dog Tests Positive for Coronavirus

A coronavirus patient’s pet dog was placed in quarantine after testing “weak positive” for the virus in Hong Kong. Fox News reported that it would mark the first case of the virus in a pet animal if confirmed.

“At present, the AFCD [Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department] does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people,” a department spokesman said.

The department picked up the dog from an apartment and sent it to an animal keeping facility. Oral, nasal, and rectal samples were collected and tested positive for low levels of COVID-19. While the dog does not have any COVID-19 symptoms, the virus can reportedly spread without any symptoms showing up.

The AFCD will collect further samples to confirm if the dog really was infected or if the positive test was a result of “environmental contamination” of the animal's mouth and nose, the spokesman said. The department advises that pets of patients infected with the virus should be placed in quarantine for 14 days. Pet owners should maintain a healthy habit of hygiene and wash their hands thoroughly after touching their pets.

“If there are any changes in the health condition of the pets, advice from veterinarians should be sought as soon as possible,” the spokesman said.

The technical lead of WHO’s emergencies program, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, said they are working with Hong Kong scientists to understand the results, “to understand what further testing they are doing and to understand how they are going to care for these animals.”

The dog reportedly belongs to a 60-year-old woman who developed symptoms on February 12th and later tested positive, according to The Wall Street Journal.