When our beloved pet snuggles up to us on a cold winter morning, we may forgive ourselves for wondering. Speculating, that is could the family dog give us COVID-19 as they move closer to nuzzle our face. Dogs trust their owners far more than those people may ever understand. They are sensitive creatures too. They feel the rejection, almost pain when we brush them away.
Could Our Canine Pets Carry the COVID-19 Virus?
‘It appears that family pets catch the virus from their owners rather than the other way around.’ So says Bloomberg’s Kristen Brown, after speaking to Jessica Justman a Columbia University epidemiologist.
However, we do know that viruses can exchange between animals and humans either way. In fact, there’s a popular theory the coronavirus traveled to humans from a bat. But several factors must align before the family dog could give us COVID-19.
1… First, the host virus must mutate until it able to penetrate the target species’ defenses.
2… And then, the circumstances needed for the virus to cross over must be perfectly in place.
We have the second factor to thank for the relatively low infection rate between humans. Face masks and social distancing are highly likely to be all we need. And of course if we have a vaccination on top of this, then we are virtually home and dry.
Therefore the Family Dog Is Unlikely Give Us COVID-19
From what we now know Kristen Brown adds, we are unlikely to catch COVID-19 from our pets. Although, there is sense in sanitizing our hands after touching them. But dogs, on the other hand could catch the infection from us, epidemiologist Jessica Justman adds.
That’s because several studies have shown families with COVID-19 are far more likely to have pets with the disease. And scientists can determine which way the virus traveled using DNA profiling. They also use this technology when tracing viral outbreaks.
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Preview Image: DNA Profiling: Artist’s Impression
