Germany to introduce plans of testing all pets for COVID-19, says minister

Amid the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus, Germany has announced its plan to test all pets for COVID-19. According to reports, German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said on June 16 that the plan would be tabled in the parliament by next month and according to her, it would contribute in improving the understanding the novel pathogen and its functioning. Germany has till now recorded 188,252 cases of coronavirus infections with 8,840 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University and at over 31 million pets and 83 million people.  

Germany has also begun lifting the COVID-19 restrictions that were imposed to curb the drastic spread of coronavirus. Earlier this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had even announced a €130 billion stimulus package that would boost the economy that has been severely impacted with the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, Germany has lifted travel restrictions from June 15 as the government moves towards life to normalcy with plunging coronavirus cases. 

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Pet-testing not mandatory

As the nation is slowly bringing life to normalcy, Kloeckner said that it will not be mandatory for people to get their pet animals tested but it would be recommended. German Agriculture minister cited an example if a cat living in a household among COVID-19 positive humans shows symptoms or not. She even stressed that there is not yet any evidence if animals can transmit the novel coronavirus to humans. 

Director of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Telangana, V Lakshma Reddy has reportedly said that pet owners should not worry about contracting the coronavirus from their pets, as there is no evidence of them having the ability to transmit the disease. Meanwhile, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to sweep across some parts of the globe with no definite vaccine, researchers are now looking if ‘man’s best friend’, a dog can contribute to detecting the COVID-19 in an individual. Medical Detection Dogs has collaborated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University, to mobilise a team that can prove that dogs can be trained to detect the disease. 

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Inputs: Agencies/ Image: Pixabay