WHO

According to a report by Fox News on the 9th, the World Health Organization announced on the 6th that six countries including Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United States have reported the discovery of the new crown virus in mink farms.

Fear of affecting vaccine efficacy

　　 Denmark recently announced that 12 people were infected with the mutated new crown virus and announced that it had killed 17 million minks nationwide, which aroused WHO's concern about the infection of the mink population.

　　 The WHO labelled this mutated new virus as "cluster 5" in a statement Friday, saying that its variant has a previously undiscovered combination of mutations. The WHO stated that preliminary observations have shown that the clinical manifestations, severity, and mode of transmission of the infected are similar to those of other new coronaviruses that are spreading. "But so far, "cluster 5" variants are less likely to be suppressed by antibodies than normal viruses. Experts worry that this may threaten the effectiveness of vaccines being developed worldwide.

　　United States Department of Agriculture: The risk of animal-to-human transmission is very low

　　 As early as April this year, the Netherlands discovered the new coronavirus in at least two mink farms. In July of this year, 87% of mink in a mink farm in northeastern Spain tested positive for the new crown virus, resulting in the arrest of approximately 100,000 minks. In total, Spain and the Netherlands killed about 1 million minks.

　　 In the United States, infected mink populations were found in two farms in Utah in August this year. The cases in the two farms are related to the infection of farm workers.

　　 However, the USDA stated that there is currently no evidence that animals, including mink, play an important role in transmitting the virus to humans. Based on the limited information so far, the risk of animals transmitting the new coronavirus to people is low.