[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] For the first time in the Gwangju area, a companion animal has tested positive for COVID-19.
According to Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 7th, at around 5:40 PM the previous day, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency confirmed that a cat owned by a COVID-19 patient in Gwangju tested positive.
This cat was owned by a confirmed patient who tested positive on the 4th, and after the owner was moved to a quarantine facility, the family took care of the cat.
When the cat showed abnormal symptoms such as nasal discharge and fever the previous day, the caretaker requested testing from the Gwangju quarantine authorities.
The quarantine authorities reported a positive result in the first test, but according to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency’s "COVID-19 Testing Guidelines for Companion Animals," a second confirmation test was requested from the Quarantine Agency, which confirmed the positive diagnosis the previous day.
The cat has been isolated from its existing protective environment, and after two weeks, another diagnostic test will be conducted; if the result is negative, the isolation will be lifted.
The COVID-19 positive diagnosis in companion animals is considered to be transmission from humans to animals, and based on overseas cases and other data, the quarantine authorities explain that there is no transmission from animals to humans.
Meanwhile, nationwide, there have been seven cases this year of companion animals testing positive, including this cat in the Gwangju area.
Previously confirmed cases include a cat in Jinju City on January 21, a cat in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 14th of last month, cats in Sejong City and a dog in Nowon-gu, Seoul on the 17th, a dog in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do on the 20th, and a dog in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 22nd.
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