Update: The Hong Kong pet dog that was tested for coronavirus has died two days after being released from a government quarantine having been declared virus-free. The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong has been confirmed to be infected with a “low level” of the virus, marking what’s likely the first known instance of human-to-animal transmission. Tests confirmed the virus in the pet’s nasal and oral cavities, “which indicates a low-level of infection,” Hong Kong’s agricultural and fisheries department said in statement late Wednesday. UPDATE, MAP AS DEATH TOLL REACHES 3,200, INFECTIONS SOAR IN ITALY, IRAN AND SOUTH KOREA

The Hong Kong pet dog that was tested for coronavirus has died two days after being released from a government quarantine having been declared virus-free.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in Hong Kong said it was notified by the owner of the 17-year old Pomeranian that the dog had died on Monday.

“The owner expressed that she didn’t wish to let her dog undergo postmortem to confirm its cause of death,” the AFCD told MarketWatch in an emailed statement.

News in February that the dog had tested “weak-positive” for Covid-19 sparked panic that domestic dogs and cats could be transmitters of the virus.

The AFCD had initially tested the dog on Feb. 26 and quarantined it for the standard 14 days after detecting low levels of the Covid-19 from its nasal and oral cavity samples.

Five more samples were subsequently collected from the dog for tests, as well as a blood sample and the AFCD said on March 12 that the result was negative. “The negative result indicates that there is not a strong immune response and that there are not measurable amounts of antibodies in the blood at this stage,” the department said.China Deaths Top 3,000; California Calls Emergency: Virus Update
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