Covid infected mink found loose in N. Brabant, Limburg
Two minks with coronavirus infections were found running loose in Noord-Brabant and Limburg over the past days. According to Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten, the chance that these animals infected persons in the area is negligible, she said in a letter to parliament.
One infected mink was caught in the vicinity of Deurne in Noord-Brabant, the other in Egchel in Limburg. The Minister assumes they came from infected fur farms that were recently culled.
Only people who intensively work with the animals are at risk of catching the coronavirus from them, Schouten said. Mink are shy by nature and do not normally seek contact with people, making the chance of cross contamination even smaller, she said.
The virus strain found in the two minks will be compared to virus strains at surrounding farms, to see where they escaped from, according to Omroep Brabant.
