User:Chrisreg509/COVID-19 impact on animals

Medical animation showing the appearance of the COVID-19 virus on a microscopic level

COVID-19 is a highly infectious illness that can be spread through bodily contact, or person to person, and originated in Wuhan, China. It has been recommended to maintain a safe social distance to avoid spreading or contracting the disease. It is impossible for it be contracted through speech due to tiny droplets in the air as a result of spit, forming a bioaerosol. It is also known more commonly as the corona virus, and was given this name due to the halo like appearance when viewed under a fluorescent microscope.

Health and safety guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 to people and animals

Impact on Animals

There are various coronaviruses that primarily infect animals, namely mammals and birds. However, it is rare for the disease to affect humans. There currently exists no evidence that animals typically kept as pets, such as dogs and cats are susceptible to spread the disease. There is also no evidence to suggest that animal products are prone to spreading or already having the disease, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the US Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) The most well known example of animal to human spread of a corona virus exists in the SARS and MERS strand. A tiger in the New York City Zoo was the first animal in the United States to test positive for the disease.

Different animals encounter different types of corona virus with varying symptoms for these different strains. For example in dogs there already exists a canine corona virus for which there already exists a cure, and vaccine.