In Belgium, a cat has tested positive for the novel corona virus. It is an isolated case that “can occur in close contact between the animal and an (infected) person”, said a government spokesman on Friday in Brussels.
According to this, scientists from the veterinary faculty of the University of Liège examined the pet of a corona patient.
In rare cases, the virus can be transmitted from humans to animals, said the spokesman for the agency responsible for the corona crisis. However, there is no reason to believe that this is an important factor in the spread of the epidemic. “So far, there is no evidence that a pet can transmit the virus to humans or other pets,” said the Food Safety Authority (AFSCA).
In Hong Kong, the authorities had reported two cases in the past few weeks in which dogs had become infected with the virus while keeping them. The animals had shown no symptoms there, AFSCA explained. The cat in Belgium, on the other hand, had “temporarily suffered from breathing and digestive problems”.
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