There's currently limited information on animals and COVID-19, especially on whether animals can spread the virus. In most circumstances, people are infecting animals (human-to-animal transmission).
According to the
World Organisation for Animal Health, there haven't been any reports of pets spreading COVID-19 to people. However, reports from the Netherlands and Denmark suggest that mink have infected some workers on mink farms. This is an area that continues to be studied.
The Public Health Agency of Canada tracks and analyzes research and case reports from around the world on COVID-19 and animals.
The table below summarizes our current knowledge about which animals:
- can get infected with COVID-19 through natural exposure in the environment
- may be able to infect humans
Some animals may get sick and show signs of illness, such as:
- fever
- fatigue
- sneezing
- coughing
- loss of appetite
- difficulty breathing
- vomiting or diarrhea