Pets may need to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Norfolk researchers say
But they say there's no need for owners to get worried yet
Vaccinating our pets against Covid 19 isn't being ruled out by scientists in Norfolk.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia say a wide range of animals - including pets - could get the infection, and new strains could develop, causing more serious illnesses.
Cock van Oosterhout, who's been researching the virus alongside Kevin Tyler, says we need to look for ways to stop the spread and prepare to take action.
The study reads:
"Strains evolving independently in reservoir hosts (e.g. mink) have also been shown to contain viral spike protein mutations and be less readily neutralized by immune serum.
"Continued virus evolution in reservoir animal host, followed by spillback events into susceptible human hosts, poses a significant long-term risk to public health. SARS-CoV-2 can infect a wide range of host species, including cats, dogs, mink, and other wild and domesticated species, and hence, the vaccination of domesticated animals might be required to halt further virus evolution and spillback events.
"Whilst the vaccination campaigns against SARSCoV-2/COVID-19 are being rolled out worldwide, 115 new virus variants are likely to continue to evolve that have the potential to sweep through the human population."
But the researchers say they don't want to scare people into worrying about their pets carrying the virus.
Cock van Oosterhout, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at UEA told Greatest Hits Radio:
"We need to show as a scientific community, and also the politicians, we need to be showing awareness that this might be possible. And we not to show preparedness that this can be anticipated at a very prompt manner.
"We are very much aware that dogs and cats and people's pets have been so important, particularly during the lockdown.
"So we really do not want to cause any anxiety that this may suddenly be needed. That is absolutely not what we say."
While, Senior Lecturer at Norwich Medical School, Kevin Tyler, added:
"At the moment, there's no examples of onward transmission from people's pets to the owners, so this is not an immediate prospect, it's just something that people should be aware of for the future."