Mink is seen on a farm in Gjol, in northern Denmark.
Denmark plan wipe out your entire mink population up to 17 million after a coronavirus mutation found in animals has spread to humans, which could reduce the effectiveness of future vaccines, the government said.
Health officials discovered that five cases of the new strain of the virus had been recorded in mink farms and 12 human cases
, Said Magnus Heunicke, Danish Minister of Health, in a declaration Thursday.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference on Wednesday that there are now fears that the new mutated virus poses a “risk to the effectiveness” of a future COVID-19 vaccine.
“It’s very, very serious“Says Frederiksen.” Therefore, the mutated virus in mink can have devastating consequences around the world. “
Related Downloads:
Laboratory tests performed by National Serum Institute found that the mutated form of the virus showed reduced sensitivity to antibodies, which could reduce the effectiveness of future vaccines, Heunicke said.
However, Heunicke pointed out that there is “no proof that people infected with this mutation suffer from a more serious illness.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that, based on the limited information available to date, “the risk of animals transmitting COVID-19 to humans is considered weak. “
Denmark is the world’s second largest producer of mink, prized for their fur, after China.
“But it is the right thing to do in a situation where the vaccine, which is currently light at the end of a very dark tunnel, is in danger,” he added.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which is studying whether animals can transmit the disease to humans, said in a tweet that it was in contact with Danish authorities to learn more about the event.
“The Danish government made a decision it did not want, but public safety must come first,” said Mick Madsen, communications manager of Fur Europe, the Brussels-based umbrella organization for European industry. fur.
“Danish authorities must now publish their research for review by international scientists,” Madsen added.
François Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute and president of computer systems biology, expressed concern about the results.
“There are thousands of mutations in SARS-CoV-2 that are constantly emerging,” he said in a tweet on Wednesday. “The fact that a few have been observed in mink will not change the strains circulating in humans. If they were beneficial for the virus to infect its human host, they would already be of high frequency.
The Danish government has said that the country’s police, army and guard will be deployed to speed up the slaughter process. He said mink farmers who slaughter their herds in 10 days, or 5 days for herds of less than 7,500 animals, will receive higher compensation.