Pet hamster contracts COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Hong Kong authorities said that a pet hamster had been tested positive for novel coronavirus, adding that over 2,200 hamsters had been culled as the city struggled to contain an outbreak.

Last week, Hong Kong officials ordered the killing of hamsters from dozens of pet shops after tracing a coronavirus outbreak to a worker at a shop and asked people to surrender any bought on or after December 22.

While a handful of hamsters had already tested positive for the virus, this latest case is the first involving a hamster in the care of a pet-owner that had tested positive.

Despite a public outcry against the hamster crackdown, authorities urged pet-owners to continue to hand over their tiny furry pets given burgeoning health risks.

The government described the outcry as "irrational".

In the meantime, some scientists and veterinary officials have stated that there is no clear evidence that animals play a major role in human contagion with COVID.

In Hong Kong, over 35,000 residents—in over a dozen buildings—had to undergo compulsory COVID-19 tests, following the random surge.

Moreover, several companies in the country have begun to enact contingency measures.

The virus behind COVID-19 is thought to have jumped from an animal to a human, but animal-to-human transmission of disease has yet to be scientifically substantiated.  

Authorities advised city residents not to abandon their pets on the streets, and instead call conservation officials to handle the hamsters, or bring them directly to their offices.

Furthermore, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that dogs, cats and other animals can be infected with coronavirus, but the risk of animal-to-human transmission is still very low.