Hong Kong Researchers: "Pet Hamsters Could Become Another Host for COVID-19"
A study from Hong Kong has revealed that pet hamsters can transmit COVID-19 to humans, attracting significant attention. Photo by Pixabay.
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A study has found that pet hamsters can transmit COVID-19 to humans.
On the 12th (local time), according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department announced in a paper published in the international medical journal The Lancet that the cause of a localized outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant in Hong Kong last January was Syrian hamsters (Golden hamsters) kept in a pet store.
Earlier in January, 11 samples taken from imported hamsters at a pet store in Causeway Bay, downtown Hong Kong, tested positive for COVID-19, sparking controversy. At that time, the store's staff and customers, as well as the families of infected customers, were all infected with COVID-19.
The research team found that more than half of the 28 hamsters secured as samples from the store showed signs of COVID-19 infection, and genetic sequencing analysis revealed that the hamsters had been infected with COVID-19 around mid-October last year.
The researchers concluded that the virus was initially transmitted from hamsters to humans and then spread from person to person, leading to the spread of the Delta variant in Hong Kong at that time.
Professor Pan Lei-yuan of the University of Hong Kong, who led the study, pointed out, "Pet Syrian hamsters can be another host for COVID-19, and if transmission among hamsters occurs over a long period, mutations in the virus may arise, potentially reducing the protective effect of vaccines."
Meanwhile, after pet hamsters tested positive for COVID-19 in January, the Hong Kong government collected and culled pet hamsters on a large scale throughout the city. This measure sparked strong opposition from animal protection groups and pet owners. At the time, Sophia Chan, Hong Kong's Secretary for Health, said in a briefing, "To be cautious, we will take preventive measures against all possible infection routes that could reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread."
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