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A mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus found in mink in Denmark has also been detected in 214 people in the country, according to the latest data published by the Statens Serum Institut, a Danish reference center for infectious diseases.
Of the infected, 14 were identified outside the North Jutland region, where the Danish government announced on Thursday that it would impose restrictions on movement and after deciding to cull about 17 million mink.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement that the citizens of that region will not be able to leave their municipalities for the next four weeks.
Furthermore, during this period, the hotel sector in the region will be closed and all cultural and sporting events will be suspended. The schools will remain open.
“Infection among mink farms is increasing in number and geographic extent, without preventive measures having worked,” admitted the Statens Serum Institut.
New variants of the novel coronavirus have been found in mink, showing reduced sensitivity to antibodies from several people with a history of infection. This is serious, as it could mean that a future covid-19 vaccine will be less effective against infection for these variants, “the Danish institute warned.
The Institute added that infections have been detected among people working on mink farms, but also among the local population.
The institute adds that five variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in mink and that one “shows less susceptibility to antibodies from several individuals with previous infections than the unmutated virus.”
This variant, says the Statens Serum Institut, was found in five mink farms and twelve human infection samples during August and September.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday it is in contact with the Danish authorities to keep abreast of developments.
In turn, the Swedish Ministry of Agriculture confirmed, also Thursday, an outbreak of the new coronavirus in mink in the Blekinge region (south) that reaches ten farms.
Upon learning of the situation in Denmark, the British government announced it had removed Denmark from its list of safe air corridors.
Travelers from Denmark will need to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival in the UK.
According to a report by the French agency AFP, the COVID-19 pandemic has already caused more than 1.2 million deaths in more than 48.1 million cases of infection worldwide.
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