Chennai: A study of outbreaks of the novel coronavirus on 16 mink farms in the Netherlands has revealed that the Covid-19 virus is capable of transmission between humans to minks, as well as from these mammals to people.
While the virus was initially introduced from humans to the minks, the researchers, including Bas B Oude Munnink from the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, said it has since evolved.
In the study, published in the journal Science, they said, “More research in minks and other mustelid species is important to understand if these species are at risk of becoming a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2.”
Scientists said the virus was first diagnosed on two mink farms in late April of 2020 in the Netherlands.
In response, they said an extensive surveillance system was set up. The researchers performed an in-depth investigation among the first 16 infected mink farms in the Netherlands using a combination of coronavirus diagnostics, whole-genome sequencing, and in-depth interviews with farm workers.