Hong Kong, March 20: A fresh case of a dog being infected with the deadly virus has come forward. According to a New York Post report, the second dog in Hong Kong has contracted coronavirus which seems to be likely case of human-to-animal transmission. The 2-year-old German Shepherd — owned by a COVID-19-infected 30-year-old woman was quarantined at a government facility,  according to reports. Can Pets Contract Coronavirus? WHO Says Cats and Dogs Are Safe From Being Infected With COVID-19, Here’s What You Should Know.

This incident comes just days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that owners might relax as pets are generally safe from being infected with the deadly virus. However, with the number of Coronavirus cases increasing, the government has started quarantining pets over the outbreak.

The 17-year-old Hong Kong pet dog that was tested for coronavirus died two days after being released from a government quarantine after having been declared virus-free. The owner of the dog expressed that she didn't wish to let her dog undergo postmortem to confirm its cause of death. The dog was initially tested 'weak-positive' for coronavirus. After the initial tests, the animal was quarantined for 14 days after detecting low levels of the Covid-19 virus from its nasal and oral cavity samples.

The 60-year-old woman, the owner of the dog was also confirmed to be infected and hospitalised on February 25. She however recovered and returned home within a few days. According to reports, some animal welfare experts suggested that the dog’s death could have been due to the stress of being quarantined and separated from its owner.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2020 08:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).