. . World News – CA – COVID-19 outbreak reported on mink farm in B.. C.. . Fraser Valley | CBC news

Eight people tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak on a mink farm in B. C.. . Fraser Valley east of Vancouver.

The Fraser Health Authority said in a written statement on Sunday that the farm owners and employees who tested positive are isolating as well as their close contacts.

The statement did not specify how the virus was transmitted, but the staff are being screened and officials are conducting contract follow-up. The animals on the farm are also tested for the virus.

In the meantime, the mink farm has been ordered to restrict the movement of animals, products and goods from the farm, the health authority said.

In an instruction, B. . C.. . The Department of Agriculture said the outbreak was limited to one farm in the Fraser Valley. It is said that samples of a mink will be sent to the National Center for Foreign Animal Diseases in Winnipeg for testing.

Millions of minks were killed in Denmark last month after 11 people contracted a mutated version of the coronavirus that was observed in the animals.

The Danish government has killed all around 15 million minks in Denmark, including healthy minks outside the northern part of the country where infections have been detected. It also banned mink breeding until the end of 2021.

According to the World Health Organization, 214 human cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Denmark since June with SARS-CoV-2 variants associated with farmed minks.

The WHO bulletin states that the mink became infected after exposure to infected humans. « Mink can act as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, transfer the virus between them and pose a risk of virus spillage from mink to humans, » the November report said. 6th.

Six countries have been identified that reported SARS-CoV-2 in mink, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and the United States.

In Canada, according to the Canada Mink Breeders Association, most of the fur farms are in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Newfoundland, and Labrador.

The club says 1. In 2018 Canada raised 7 million minks, mostly in rural communities, and the industry employs more than 60. 000 Canadians.

Mink farms in British Columbia are concentrated in the Fraser Valley, according to a 2014 B. C.. . Briefing of the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to a statement from Fraser Health, WorkSafeBC has inspected the site and is working with the farm on its COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

WorkSafeBC also reaches other mink farms in B. . C.. . Discuss their COVID-19 security plans and measures to prevent transmission.

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Coronavirus, Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Fur Breeding, Mink, Fraser Health