The World's First Case: Cats Infect Humans with COVID-19!

Recently, a research team in Thailand said that it was the first case in the world that a cat transmitted COVID-19 to humans through sneezing.

According to the media reports, researchers from the medical school of Prince songka University and the school of veterinary science of Prince songka University in Thailand found that in August 2021, after a father and son were infected with COVID-19, their cat was sent to a pet hospital for examination. When a veterinarian was sampling the cat, the cat sneezed in the veterinarian's face.

About 5 days later, the veterinarian developed cough, runny nose and other symptoms, and the subsequent test results of the cat were positive. After testing, the genome of COVID-19 infected by veterinarians is the same as that infected by cats. The veterinarian was wearing a mask, but the droplets could spread to the veterinarian's eyes. It is very likely that the cat was infected by its owner, and then the virus was transmitted to the veterinarian through droplets, that is, "human to cat to human".

The other two veterinarians who sampled the cat together tested negative. This case also proves the importance of wearing protective glasses or masks when interacting closely with high-risk groups or animals.