COVID-19 and Animals
A novel coronavirus that was first reported in China in December 2019 quickly led to a global pandemic. Named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causes COVID-19 in humans and has subsequently devastated economies and healthcare systems worldwide.
Large
cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Image Credit: Milkovasa / Shutterstock.com
Whilst highly contagious between humans, current evidence regarding transmission between animals and humans suggests that animals do not play a significant role in spreading the infection. However, more research is needed to understand how animals are affected by COVID-19 and when human-animal transmission may occur.
SARS-CoV-2 and animals