Denmark plans to cull its entire population of around 15 million mink on farms after the animals spread a coronavirus mutation in humans.
The prime minister of the country, Puts Frederiksen, said at a press conference Wednesday that the mutated virus it could spread to other countries. “The mutation of the coronavirus from minks could pose a risk to the effectiveness of a future vaccine.”
We have a great responsibility to our population, but with this newly detected coronavirus mutation, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well.
Puts Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark
The coronavirus mutation that comes from mink
The mutated virus was found in a dozen people infected by minks. Half of the 783 human cases of Covid-19 in northern Denmark 'are linked to mink', health minister said Magnus heunicke.
Mike Ryan, the head of the emergencies program for the World Health Organization, called for scientific investigations, calling it a “complex issue.” According to him, the virus was transmitted to minks by humans, then underwent a mutation and now the reverse path is occurring.
Kare Molbak, director of the Statens Serum Institut research center, said the worst-case scenario would be “a new pandemic, starting again in Denmark.”
“That's why we have to take this extremely seriously“Molbak said.
Is a mink slaughter looming?
There are between 15 and 17 million mink in Denmark, one of the world's leading exporters of mink fur.
Culling the country's mink population due to the mutated coronavirus could cost up to $785 million, according to government estimates.
