[Animals] Two UK cats infected with coronavirus by owners, scientists say

[H O L D F I R E 流]

Two cats in the UK caught Covid-19 from humans last year, with the actual number of cases transmitted from humans to animals likely to be higher, scientists have said. Researchers from the University of Glasgow made the discovery during a feline screening programme.

In a study published in the Veterinary Record, they revealed how both animals are thought to have become infected by their owners, who displayed coronavirus symptoms before their pets fell ill.

Conclusions from the highly anticipated World Health Organisation (WHO) report on the origin of Covid-19 have been revealed, pointing to exotic animals farmed for trade as the most likely source of the virus, while a chorus of detractors continue pushing the theory that the real leak may have been from a Chinese lab. These divergent views delay a focused global effort to prevent another pandemic by treating an agreed upon cause. But the most interesting aspect of this endless debate is that all sides actually point toward the same source and, de-facto, the same solution. Critics of the WHO investigation correctly point out that its team deployed to Wuhan was compelled to collaborate with, and depend on, Chinese officials to conduct their research. This team apparently did not include experts who could forensically examine medical laboratories, and China has also been forced to deny it restricted their access to the lab in question, the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Consequently, we hear strong cries from a variety of sources, casting doubt on the WHO’s findings, and calling for the Chinese to come clean and reveal all. After all, the biggest modern day disaster warrants a thorough and transparent probe. But whether or not an additional investigation ever takes place, we should be listening now to the WHO team and the countless other experts who agree with them, and waste no more time implementing their recommendations. Because no matter which side you believe, Covid-19 was a zoonotic outbreak. The virus jumped from an animal to a person, whether it was from a lab or a market, suggesting tough, clear decisions need to be made on a global scale. Lets pay attention to the lab-leak proponents for a moment. If a new investigation proved them right, it would mean that a bat or bat secretion would have infected a Wuhan lab worker, who would have infected others. Chinese labs, and labs around the world, do in fact use bats and other animals to conduct tests designed to anticipate and prevent new disease transmissions. But it’s important to remember that these “test animals” don’t just show up at the lab on their own. Acquiring them takes effort and costs money. The test specimens –live animals, their saliva, feces or body parts—, are removed from their natural environments and transported to the medical test centers. In the case of bats, researchers visit caves and collect the samples on their own. The animals may be left in their natural homes while their biological prints are collected. Other animals may be removed, bagged and even bred in captivity back at the lab to sustain ongoing experiments. Sometimes, labs lack the time or manpower to complete collection, so they obtain specimens through animal brokers. Either way, the medical community is one of multiple markets for the global wildlife trade that supplies various critters capable of transmitting viruses to people, including bats, rodents, primates and many more.