Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
1–10 of 274 posts
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#2> Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, said Wednesday it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at its mink farms and had spread to people.
Questions:
1. Is this worrisome?
2. If Denmark is catching this, should we be concerned that the virus has mutated in other animals and has thus far gone undetected?
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#3That's horrible, and how can anyone find that ok.
Per "Guns, Germs, and Steel", it's not even strategic, because diversification of existing strains should naturally select the least deadly, as well as spread antibodies across species boundaries.
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#4That's horrible, and how can anyone find that ok. Per "Guns, Germs, and Steel", it's not even strategic, because diversification of existing strains should naturally select the least deadly, as well as spread antibodies across species boundaries.
The animals are killed anyway for their fur.
What do you think mink farms are?
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#5That's horrible, and how can anyone find that ok. Per "Guns, Germs, and Steel", it's not even strategic, because diversification of existing strains should naturally select the least deadly, as well as spread antibodies across species boundaries.
Humans > Minks
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#6So uhm how likely is it that this new version is contained if they found 12 cases in people already?
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#7> Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, said Wednesday it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at its mink farms and had spread to people. Questions: 1. Is this worrisome? 2. If Denmark is catching this, should we be concerned that the virus has mutated in other animals and has thus far gone undetected?
1. Yes. This is serious. Mutation is a big red reset button on the pandemic potentially.
2. No. Minks are kept in small cages with a very high density of biomass. This makes it a perfect incubator. Also ferrets have some similarities with humans in the upper respiratory system, making this more of a concern.
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#8That's horrible, and how can anyone find that ok. Per "Guns, Germs, and Steel", it's not even strategic, because diversification of existing strains should naturally select the least deadly, as well as spread antibodies across species boundaries.
They live on factory farms and then are killed for their fur. Frankly, this is a mercy killing.
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#9I hope this hastens the end of factory farming animals for their fur, as a tiny silver lining to this whole coronavirus situation.
Re: Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus
#10So uhm how likely is it that this new version is contained if they found 12 cases in people already?
It's possible there is only mink-to-human transmission and not human-to-human. This was the case for MERS, which was contained in part by culling chickens.