The first case of a cat with a coronavirus infection COVID-19 has been confirmed in Latvia. Ugo Dumpis, the chief infectious disease specialist of the Ministry of Health of the republic, told reporters on Tuesday.
“In Latvia, COVID-19 infection was first detected in a cat, and several more cats have antibodies to the new coronavirus,” Dumpis said.
He noted that Latvia is the first country in the Baltic States where coronavirus infection has been detected in this species’ representatives.
Dumpis said samples taken from the cats were tested on January 31st. Samples were collected from 240 animals, some of which are pets of people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus.
The cats have been tested in a study as part of the government’s COVID-19 Mitigation Research Program.
