Coronavirus: Hamsters behind Delta variant outbreak in Hong Kong, study finds; calls for more animal import controls
- Investigation by University of Hong Kong and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department finds Syrian hamsters were source of Delta variant outbreak in January
- Research team says possibility exists other animal species could transmit coronavirus to humans
The investigation was jointly conducted by HKU’s school of public health and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, concluding that Syrian hamsters with naturally acquired Covid-19 infections were the source of a local outbreak of the Delta variant two months ago.
Health authorities in January culled 2,000 imported hamsters to contain potential animal-to-human transmissions, with 11 samples taken from hamsters in a Causeway Bay pet store testing positive for the coronavirus. The shop’s employee, a customer and her husband were also confirmed as infected.
The initial infections, together with others linked to two pet shops in Mong Kok and Tai Po, led to subsequent human-to-human transmissions.
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Researchers found that over half of 28 the Syrian hamsters sampled from the pet shop and warehouse in Causeway Bay had shown signs of Covid-19 infection, with full genome sequencing revealing they had been infected in mid-October.