All the lions and tigers at smithsonian national zoo were infected with covid-19

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some got really really sick but, with a lot of medical care, they're all recovering, so good news. Pfizer's veterinarian pharm branch has developed a vaccine for them and any other species that may require it.

An investigation was not able to narrow down the exact source of transmission. But according to Neiffer, the animals likely contracted the virus from zoo staff — visitors never come close to the animals — although Neiffer emphasizes that this transmission happened despite rigorous safety protocols in place throughout the pandemic. Staff vaccination status is confidential, but Neiffer suggests that, particularly in the context of the delta variant, even vaccinated staff could unknowingly infect the cats with the virus.

Virus transmission, or jumping, from one species to another, is common among mammals. Neiffer points out that COVID-19 is thought to have been a disease in wild animals before it was a human pandemic.

But it remains a mystery why these great cats, and no other animals at the zoo, contracted the coronavirus. Cats, including house cats, do seem more susceptible to COVID-19 than, for example, dogs, Neiffer notes. The zoos’ cheetahs, which live at some distance from their larger feline relatives, escaped the outbreak, although they're still considered a high risk species.

According to Inside Nova, vulnerable species at the zoo and the associated Smithsonian Conservation Biology institute in Front Royal, Virginia, will receive a vaccine developed, and donated to zoos, by Pfizer’s veterinary pharmaceutical branch Zoetis, authorized for use in specific cases by the USDA. In addition to the felids, Neiffer says that the zoo’s primates are also at a heightened risk for coronavirus.

https://thehill.com/changing-americ...s-and-tigers-all-had-covid-19-at-the-national

 

[DeluxAuto]

OH MY!