Your Pet Cannot Catch Coronavirus According To Experts
Your dog or cat may be your "best friend" -- but could your beloved pet give you coronavirus?
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Experts agree, almost definitely not.
Why then did one dog in Hong Kong test positive for coronavirus last week?
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Last Friday, Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that samples from the dog's nasal and oral cavities had tested "weak positive" for novel coronavirus. It was believed to be the first time that a dog anywhere in the world tested positive for the virus.
The dog -- had no symptoms -- was put into quarantine and will be repeatedly tested until the result comes back negative,
Despite this, the AFCD and the World Health Organization both agree there is no evidence that pets such as cats or dogs can be infected with coronavirus.
That's because while dogs can test positive for the virus, it doesn't necessarily mean they have been infected.
We know that coronaviruses can live on surfaces and objects, although researchers don't know exactly how long this virus can linger for.
In the same way, coronavirus could be present on the surface of a dog or cat, even if the dog or cat hasn't actually contracted the virus.
"Present evidence suggests that dogs are no more of a risk of spreading (coronavirus) than inanimate objects such as door handles," wrote Sheila McClelland, the founder of Hong Kong-based Lifelong Animal Protection Charity (LAP), in a letter to the Hong Kong authorities, which she shared with CNN.McClelland said there had been no confirmed cases of cats or dogs contracting the disease anywhere in the world, and that there are no published studies showing that the coronavirus test is accurate in dogs.
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