The novel coronavirus was thought to come from animals before it infected the first human. With that, it’s also highly likely that animals could catch COVID-19 from humans as well. Malaysia’s Director General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, said we should “try to avoid close contact with animals” because of this.
Answering a question at a press conference, Dr Noor Hisham said it’s possible for humans to get infected by animals that are afflicted by COVID-19. This includes common household pets like cats and dogs. He also emphasised maintaining good personal hygiene as a precaution against the disease.
When asked about the pets of of those tested positive for COVID-19, Dr Noor Hisham said to refer to veterinarians. The vets will then check on the animals and decide where to go from there, depending on the diagnosis of the animals.
Earlier, a four-year-old Malayan tiger called Nadia at New York’s Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19. Six other big cats, including three other tigers and three lions, also developed a dry cough. But only Nadia was screened for the novel coronavirus. All of the big cats are expected to recover after getting their meds.
(Source: RTM / Facebook, Reuters [1], [2])
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