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| A dog wearing a face mask is seen on a Shanghai street on March 2 as China battles the COVID-19 outbreak. Reuters |
By Jung Min-ho
A pet dog in Hong Kong has contracted COVID-19 from its owner in what could be the first known human-to-animal transmission, local health authorities said Wednesday.
The Pomeranian is now under quarantine after repeated tests confirmed a "low-level infection" of the virus, though it shows no symptoms of the disease, a spokesman for Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.
The results conflict with the World Health Organization's (WHO) official stance that "there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus."
However, the spokesman stressed there is no evidence that pets could pass the virus to their owners.
"Apart from maintaining good hygiene practices, pet owners need not be overly concerned and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets," he said.
Further tests will be conducted on the dog; it will not be released from quarantine until the rest results are negative.
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