Pets and Coronavirus: The truth behind the ‘fake news’ headlines

Our four-legged friends cannot contract Covid-19, yet many false reports are putting them in danger, says Marie Carter

A pet cat left behind during the coronavirus outbreak is cared for by a charity worker (Vshine)

Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) stating that pets, ergo all “animals”, cannot get or transmit coronavirus, there persists a dangerous ignorance that is causing pets to be put to their deaths at worst, or sent to already under-pressure animal shelters, at best.

The WHO, and others such as the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have clearly stated that pets cannot contract and therefore transmit the virus. WHO states: “At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus.” And yet, pets are being put to their deaths. The Chinese government is paying civilians to slaughter stray dogs, and the dangerous myth looks set to fester, causing untold suffering to our beloved companion animals.

It all started with the little pomeranian dog from Hong Kong, cute and endearing in the copious media photos cuddled up to his owner. The dog had “contracted” Covid-19 and was in quarantine, was the ubiquitous headline. Less prominence was given to the scientific evidence that the dog probably didn’t actually have the disease, but its “diagnosis” was actually a “false positive”. The dog, the scientists explained, may have had evidence of the virus on its fur, from its human, who did have the virus.