The Relationship Between Animals, Humans and COVID-19:
2020-03-26
Corona is not actually the name of any specific virus strain, but rather the name of one family among many virus families. Not all strains in this large family are causes for alarm - only the Novel Coronavirus has caused the COVID-19 disease. However, before this novel coronavirus, two other types of coronaviruses had caused diseases in humans. One was MERS-CoV which came from a species of camel. The other was SARS-CoV which came from a wild animal called Civet cat.
Apart from the novel coronavirus, there are many other viruses in the coronavirus family that cause common diseases in livestock and poultry. These cannot infect humans - for example, bovine coronavirus in cattle causes common diarrhea in livestock but can never cause disease in humans. So there's no need to panic upon hearing that cows or chickens have coronaviruses. However, those of you at the farm level must follow some general precautions.
What you need to do to protect yourself:
1. When visiting live animal markets, avoid direct contact with animals and animal products.
2. Ensure germ-free balanced food for livestock.
3. Avoid raw or undercooked food for yourself.
4. Clean your hands with quality hand sanitizer or soap and avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose.
5. Use disinfectant spray regularly. Arrange footbaths at the farm and use disinfectants there.
6. Dispose farm waste in designated areas, bury it underground or burn it.
7. Keep your home and farm clean.
Another point is that livestock or chicken meat is not the source of novel coronavirus, so feel free to eat halal meat after proper cooking.
How coronavirus spreads:
The novel coronavirus spreads very quickly and easily through infected people. So to stay safe from novel coronavirus, follow all precautions given by doctors and spread those precautions. Avoid public gatherings and maintain cleanliness.
WHO's website clearly states that so far there is no evidence that this novel coronavirus spreads to humans from pets like dogs and cats.
However, some general precautions are advised. Such as washing hands thoroughly with soap after handling pets. Avoid kissing them or maintain distance from their saliva. These are just general precautions. WHO and others continue ongoing research monitoring regarding COVID-19 and will inform if any new research-based information becomes available.