Fearing the spread of Covid-19, Hong Kong destroys thousands of hamsters

The South China Morning Post reported on January 18 that Dr. Leung Siu-fai, director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong, announced that anyone who bought hamsters as pets from December 22, 2021 must surrender them, and that imports of the animal were temporarily suspended due to concerns about the risk.Covid-19 infection.

“We have assessed the risk from this group of animals as relatively high, so we have made the decision based on public health requirements,” said Mr Leung. “We also urge all pet owners to maintain strict hygiene when handling pets and their cages. Avoid hugging or abandoning them on the streets.”

The official also advised owners to take their pets to the vet or contact health authorities for assistance if they notice any unusual signs in their health.

The decision came after Hong Kong found 11 samples taken from hamsters tested positive for the coronavirus, and two cases of Covid-19 were linked to a pet shop in Causeway Bay. The government said that about 2,000 hamsters would be tested for Covid-19 before being culled.

On January 16, a 23-year-old woman who worked at a Little Boss pet store was reported to be the first untraceable case of the Delta variant in Hong Kong in more than three months. According to an anonymous source, current evidence suggests this may be the first case of animal-to-human transmission of the coronavirus in Hong Kong.

"The results of the gene sequencing on the virus test sample of this infected case showed that this is a gene circulating in Europe and Pakistan. It is possible that it was transmitted to humans through hamsters imported from the Netherlands, which also has a similar gene. Therefore, it is very likely that this case is a virus transmitted from animals to humans," the source revealed.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressed concern about the Delta case, which came after a cluster of Omicron cases was reported at a Yau Ma Tei hotel in the city. "We are concerned about the risk of two variants spreading at the same time. The risk from pet shops is that they deal with animals and they have more than 10 branches across Hong Kong," Lam said.

As of January 17, Hong Kong had recorded a total of 13,048 Covid-19 cases, including 213 deaths. Since January 14, the government has tightened social distancing measures, including extending the ban on dine-in services for another two weeks, and allocating HK$3.57 billion (US$457.7 million) to support struggling businesses through the Covid-19 prevention fund.