Minister of Health Kuipers has asked RIVM to organize an expert consultation on the coronavirus in animals. Kuipers wants advice on risks to humans, such as reservoir formation and the development of new virus variants. He wrote this in a letter to the House of Representatives.
Kuipers points out that it has been known for some time that animals such as dogs, cats, minks and hamsters are sensitive to the virus. The virus is currently circulating among a wild deer species in the United States and Canada, he writes.
The minister writes that it regularly occurs that people ignite cats and dogs. There is no evidence that corona is circulating in dog or cat populations that have not been in contact with humans.
Recently, infected hamsters, which were imported from the Netherlands, caused an increase in the number of infections in Hong Kong. It was previously assumed that the animals in the Netherlands were infected, but Kuipers now writes that there are indications that the hamsters in the Czech Republic are infected.
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