By Henric Sundlof • Published: 18 Mar 2020 • 8:29
The first dog in the world that tested positive for the coronavirus has now passed away, just two days after returning from quarantine in Hong Kong.
The dog, a 17-year old Pomeranian, is said to have been infected by its owner, a 60-year old woman in Hong Kong, a few weeks ago. The woman has since recovered from COVID-19, but the dog was still under observation until it was released last Saturday when it was reported to be virus-free.
A total of five tests returned “weak positive” for the disease, but after two more tests showed that the Pomeranian was virus-free it was released from quarantine and returned home, where it died a couple of days later.
A spokesman for Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said: “The department learned from the dog’s owner that it had passed away on March 16. The owner said she was not willing to [allow] an autopsy to examine the cause of death.”
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