San Diego Zoo Great Apes Become First Non-Humans to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine! Here Are Other Animals That Have Been Affected by Coronavirus in The Past

While the COVID-19 vaccination drive for humans around the world is on, in the San Diego Zoo, the gorillas will now be given the shots against coronavirus. The zoo announced on Thursday that it was in the process of inoculating the famous great apes. The animal species has been quite badly hit by SARS-CoV-2, therefore now they will be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first non-humans in this case. Until now four orangutans and five bonobos are in the process of being vaccinated. The zoo revealed that only "some of the members of the great apes" were being vaccinated because "Zoetis provided our veterinarians with a limited supply of recombinant purified spike protein vaccine, intended for use in protecting animals against SARS-CoV-2 The vaccine doses originated from a supply strictly intended for nonhuman use", as per ABC.  COVID-19 Spread to Animals by Humans? Around 10,000 Minks Dead After Contracting Coronavirus at US Fur Farms. 

These are the first known vaccinations of great apes and that they were getting two shots three weeks apart very similar to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines developed for humans. Officials said they have seen no side-effects of the injections. "The gorilla troop at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are doing well and appear to be on their way to a full recovery," officials said in a statement to ABC.

Other Animals That Have Been Affected by Coronavirus in The Past

In 2020, many animals apart from Gorillas were affected by the coronavirus.Two cats were the first pets in the US had tested positive for the virus. The cats live in two separate areas of New York state. Both had mild respiratory illness and are expected to make a full recovery. Later, a Pomeranian dog became one of the first reported cases of human-animal transmission of COVID-19. Tiger Nadia from New York's Bronx Zoo had taken over the headlines after she had tested positive for COVID-19. She was believed to have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time.  minks from the farms in the Netherlands. They have been tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture said

Russia, which registered the world's first vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in humans, is started the production of a vaccine for animals last year. According to Sergey Dankvert, the head of Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor), Russia started producing an experimental COVID-19 vaccine for animals in October 2020.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2021 10:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).