Friday, November 6, 2020

Mutant Coronavirus in Mink Spreading To Humans

Oh, and the coronavirus thing too.

From the BBC:

Denmark to cull up to 17 million mink amid coronavirus fears

Denmark will cull all its mink - as many as 17 million - after a mutated form of coronavirus that can spread to humans was found on mink farms.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the mutated virus posed a "risk to the effectiveness" of a future Covid-19 vaccine.

Denmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong.

The culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.

Warning: you may find a picture of dead mink lower down disturbing

Coronavirus cases have also been detected in farmed mink in the Netherlands and Spain since the pandemic began in Europe.

But cases are spreading fast in Denmark - 207 mink farms in Jutland are affected - and at least five cases of the new virus strain were found. Twelve people had become infected, the authorities said....

....MORE

And Al Jazeera:

Denmark finds 214 people with mink-related coronavirus

And from STAT:

Spread of mutated coronavirus in Danish mink ‘hits all the scary buttons,’ but fears may be overblown

I wish they hadn't put that "May" in there.