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“Evidence shows that the hamsters are infected with the COVID-19 virus. It is impossible to quarantine and observe each of them and their incubation period could be long,” said Leung Siu-fai, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
The role of pets and the transmission of coronavirus has been studied and debated since the start of the pandemic, but for the most part it appears to be a one way street with animals getting infected by their owners and generally recovering quickly.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control called the risk of animals spreading the virus to people to be “low,” but noted that “the virus can spread from people to animals during close contact.” The exception appears to be minks, with cases of humans getting infected by them.
In 2020, Denmark culled some 17 million minks after they were found to be at risk of carrying coronavirus. The government later admitted that the minks were improperly killed and buried, and a commission of inquiry has been established to look into the case.
In cramped Hong Kong, hamsters have been been popular as pets for being cute and fairly low maintenance.
The city, like mainland China, is holding firm to a policy of “zero-covid,” imposing extreme 21-day quarantine requirements on any overseas arrivals. The territory was able to maintain zero local infections for weeks until December, when two flight attendants returning from the United States infected with the highly-transmissible omicron variant went out into the community, spreading the virus.
Last week, a 23-year-old woman working at a pet shop called Little Boss in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay was found to be infected with the delta variant, which has been rare in the city. At the same time, several hamsters in the pet shop also tested positive for the coronavirus. Health officials in Hong Kong are now investigating this as a possible case of animal to human transmission, as two more human infections, one confirmed and one preliminary positive, were linked to the pet store.
Thomas Sit, veterinarian and assistant director of the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said the government did not want to cull all the hamsters but that it was a public health decision.
“You need to realize that the hamsters [which] have already got infected are excreting the virus; they can infect other animals, other hamsters and human beings,” Sit said. “We have to protect public health and we have no choice.”
Sit added that if investigations found the hamsters were infected during import, special testing on hamsters would be added before future imports, and the government will gauge other risks for other animals later.
Health authorities have now ordered all pet shops selling hamsters to shut, and for mandatory testing of all who have purchased a hamster since Dec. 22.
“We urge all pet owners to observe strict hygiene when handling their pets and cages. Do not kiss or abandon them on the streets,” said Leung.
Hong Kong’s government has responded to the most recent coronavirus wave by imposing some of the strictest social distancing and isolation measures since the start of the pandemic here two years ago. Flights from eight countries including the United States and Britain, and transit flights from 150 countries are currently banned, and students have returned to home learning.
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