MADRID – A covid-19 working group of the Spanish Professional Association of Veterinarians (OCV) has this week recommended to vaccinate all cats in Spain against the corona virus. Following that, all dogs and ferrets should also receive a vaccination.
That is, once a covid vaccine for animals is available and approved. According to the OCV, several studies are already underway in centres affiliated with the Complutense University of Madrid. This research will initially focus on a vaccine for cats. Because in rare cases they can develop serious lung diseases after an infection with the coronavirus.
The expectations regarding the animal vaccine are positive. Because for the time being no major complications are foreseen in the research. The working group urges the scientific community to pay more attention to the transferability of Covid-19 from animal to animal. Thus their recommendation to vaccinate all cats when it is an available option.
After two wild minks were found dead, in the first instance showed that they were infected with the corona virus. Contaminated sewage water was identified as the cause. Therefore animal to animal contamination would not be the most obvious reason. However, after further analytical research on the dead animals, it turned out they were not infected with the corona virus.
The covid working group consists of professors in veterinary microbiology, veterinary medicine and the general director of Healthy Agricultrual Production, an organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
