Why the New Mutated Covid Transmission From Mink to Human in Denmark is a Big Problem
Why the new mutated transmission threatens both public health and vaccine development
Since the summer in Denmark, thousands of mink have been killed in a bid to stop the mink to mink transmission of Covid-19. But on Wednesday the 23rd of October, the Danish government hosted a press conference and announced that the millions of mink in Denmark must all be killed.
This is due to a mutation of Covid in minks, which has now been transmitted from minks back to humans. The mutated Mink-Covid has now infected at least 12 people in Jutland, Denmark. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said half the 783 human COVID-19 cases in northern Denmark “are related” to mink. “It is very, very serious,” PM Frederiksen said. “Thus, the mutated virus in minks can have devastating consequences worldwide.”
In a bid to control the spread of Covid 2.0 or Mink-Covid, the Jutland area will face additional restrictions, on top of the existing Covid-19 restrictions facing the whole of Denmark.
Why is this Mink-Covid a problem? The WHO and European Commission have been alerted to this mutation. Yet, if there is widespread human to human transmission of this mutated virus, the international race to a vaccine may be threatened.
Mutated virus can have consequences for future vaccines
This is because the mutated virus was tested against Covid-19 antibodies, and it did not respond to those antibodies. In the worst case scenario, the Covid infection from mink to humans poses a potential danger to future vaccine against Covid-19, says Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Frederiksen says that the mutated virus can mean that the vaccine which is currently being developed for coronavirus may not be effective, the mutated virus in mink has devastatingly negative consequences.
Beyond threatening the global fight for a vaccine, the new mutation also means that people who have already had Covid-19, and developed the antibodies, can again get infected with this new mutated strain. This is a threat both to Danes recovering from Covid, and Europeans more generally.
Yet, there is no guarantee the future vaccines will fail. But it is a big enough concern to deploy the Armed Forces, the Danish Emergency Management Agency and the Home Guard to kill all mink in Denmark.
The Danish Government is acting fast to try and conquer this big public health concern. But the concern is that the mutated virus in mink may spread through humans and threaten global vaccine development. Or, create a more dangerous Covid 2.0 — although of the 12 people infected there has been no indication of a more dangerous strain. So spare a moment for both the minks, and the mink farmers losing their livelihoods, an industry representing an annual export value of approx. EUR 1,1 billion. But, let’s hope that this can draw attention to the living conditions of all captive animals, and the horrible inhumane conditions these animals live and die in. Let’s see this as an opportunity to end mink farming for fashion and a time to up-skill farmers.
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