Thousands of mink die in Covid-19 outbreaks at US fur farms
CNNCNN — Thousands of mink have died at fur farms in Utah and Wisconsin after a series of coronavirus outbreaks. “Everything we’ve looked at here in Utah suggests its gone from the humans to the animals,” Taylor told CNN. On Friday, Kevin Hoffman, a spokesperson at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, told CNN 2,000 mink have died from the coronavirus at a Wisconsin farm as well. Dr. Keith Paulson with the UW-Madison Veterinary School Diagnostic Laboratory told CNN affiliate WISN that he noted “significant mortality in the mink” and that three workers there had recovered from the virus after displaying “mild to moderate clinical signs.” Other cases have been detected in the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The cluster of cases in Utah has spread to nine farms, but Taylor warns that “we’re still in the middle of the outbreak.” Each farm is under quarantine with only essential workers permitted on site.