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Denmark - Coronavirus detected in 289 mink farms - All Danish mink (15-17 million) must be killed because coronavirus has mutated and has spread to hu

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) says at a press conference that all Danish mink must be killed because coronavirus has mutated among mink and has spread to humans.

There are currently 12 people registered with the mutated virus.
 
Denmark to cull entire mink population after coronavirus mutation spreads to humans


COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark will cull its mink population of up to 17 million after a mutation of the coronavirus found in the animals spread to humans, the prime minister said on Wednesday.

Health authorities found virus strains in humans and in mink which showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of future vaccines, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference.

“We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well,” she said.

................................................

“The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting all over again out of Denmark,” director at the State Serum Institute, Kare Molbak, said. The new strain showed diminished sensitivity towards antibodies, he added.

“That’s why we have to take this extremely seriously,” Molbak said.

Minks have also been culled in the Netherlands and Spain after infections were discovered.

Authorities had registered five cases of the new strain on mink farms and 12 cases in humans.

There are between 15 million and 17 million mink in Denmark, authorities said.
 
All mink must be killed as a result of COVID-19

The Statens Serum Institut has found a mutated form of corona virus in mink. It poses such a serious danger to public health that the government has decided that all mink in Denmark must be killed. (Article published by coronasmitte.dk)

News , Published: November 4, 2020

The mutated form of the virus that Statens Serum Institut has found, showed reduced sensitivity to antibodies and it is a variant of the virus that can migrate from mink to humans. There is a risk that a future vaccine will not have an effect on the mutated form of virus.

And there is a risk that the mutated form of the virus could spread to other countries.

Therefore, the government has decided that it is necessary to kill all mink in Denmark, including the breeding animals, even though it is a serious decision for the country's mink farmers. At the same time, the authorities will announce a number of additional restrictions tomorrow, which will apply to the population in a number of municipalities in North Jutland and Himmerland.

The Government has therefore decided that the situation is now so serious that both the infected herds and the herds in the immediate vicinity of the infected herds must be killed.

Efforts to kill mink throughout the country will be coordinated through the National Operating Staff (NOST). The police and the Armed Forces, together with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, will intensify the killing of the animals.

Mink breeders who kill their animals themselves will receive increased compensation.
 
Denmark tightens lockdown in north, mink cull devastates industry

NOVEMBER 5, 202012:02 PM UPDATED 33 MINUTES AGO
By Nikolaj Skydsgaard

... Seven municipalities in northern Denmark, home to most of the country’s mink farms, will face restrictions on movement across county lines, while restaurants and bars will be closed, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference.

Schools will be closed and all public transport will be shut until Dec 3., she said, encouraging inhabitants in the region to stay within their municipality and get tested.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...h-mink-cull-devastates-industry-idUKKBN27L2N7
 
More mutated virus variants in Denmark

2020-11-06

Mutated coronavirus from mink has been found in 214 people in Denmark during the period June to October. These are different variants, where the virus has mutated in mink and then spread further to humans, according to the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark.

The previously noticed variant, which is considered to be the most serious, is called cluster 5. It has been found on five mink farms and in twelve people, of which eleven in northern Jutland and one in Zealand.

Due to that discovery, the Danish government has decided that all minks in Denmark should be killed.

At the same time, severe restrictions have been introduced in seven municipalities in North Jutland, which affect more than 280,000 people. Those who live there are not allowed to leave their home municipality. Restaurants have been closed and public transport to and from the municipalities has been suspended.



The reason why the cluster 5 variant is judged to be so serious is that an upcoming vaccine may not protect against it. It is not considered to cause more serious illness or be more contagious than the original coronavirus.

"But if it spreads in Denmark or internationally, it could potentially have serious consequences for the protective effect of future vaccines," writes the Statens Serum Institut.

The other mutated virus variants that have been found are currently being investigated.
 
CORONA OUTBREAKS IN NORTH JUTLAND LEAD TO CLOSURE IN SEVEN MUNICIPALITIES


For the time being until and including Thursday 3 December, cultural institutions, sports and association life, evening schools and day colleges in seven North Jutland municipalities will be closed. This is happening as part of the government's efforts to combat the outbreak of the mutated coronavirus in North Jutland.

INSTITUTIONS AND ACTIVITIES COVERED BY THE CLOSURE

All indoor and outdoor cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, cinemas, libraries (with the exception of deposits and loans for research and teaching use), evening schools, folk high schools, Folkeuniversitetet, music and culture schools, etc. shut down for public access. The same applies to other premises where cultural activities are carried out.

Premises where sports and leisure and association activities are carried out, including sports halls, gaming halls and casinos, play and bathing areas, swimming pools, fitness centers and club rooms are closed to public access. This only applies to indoor areas in those places.

In addition, amusement parks, traveling amusement parks, zoos, aquariums and the like are closed to public access. This applies to both indoor and outdoor areas in the places in question.
 
I have not seen any of the sequence data or even what changes have occurred. Has anyone got a link to any further data?
 
Thanks Mary I had looked just before posting but filtered by host species and only got 4 older Mink hits. For some reason if I change to colour by host it loses all the mink hits. I had not found the /groups before having always use /sars-cov-2
 
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/h...sibility-disease-severity/article33047844.ece
No evidence to suggest coronavirus cluster 5 variant found in minks increases virus transmissibility, disease severity

R. Prasad CHENNAI, November 07, 2020 17:48 IST Updated: November 08, 2020 00:15 IST
...
Prof. Francois Balloux, Director of UCL Genetics Institute, U.K. said in a tweet that his colleagues had previously identified mutations in the virus, including one in the Spike protein, occurred repeatedly in minks, which may be involved in increased transmission in carnivore hosts.

Prof. Balloux further said: “SARS-CoV-2 mutations acquired in minks are not concerning. We already knew that SARS-CoV-2 can transmit from minks to humans. Though, this should be of no concern in terms of the evolution of the transmissibility of the virus.”

...
Impact on vaccine efficacy

“We need to wait and see what the implications are but I don’t think we should come to any conclusions about whether this particular mutation is going to impact vaccine efficacy,” says WHO’s Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan. “We don’t have any evidence at the moment that it would.”

Prof. Balloux has been more critical of news reports suggesting that the variant might impact vaccine efficacy. The ‘vaccine escape’ scare story is just idiotic. Vaccine-escape mutations may (or not) arise in humans in the future, if they are advantageous to the virus for (once vaccines will be deployed). They definitely won’t be fuelled by mutations having emerged in minks,” he tweeted.

Wiping out a species with no evidence - where will it end?
https://twitter.com/i/status/1324706836101160962
 
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...for-mass-mink-cull-after-covid-mutation-fears
Denmark drops plans for mass mink cull after Covid mutation fears
MPs refused to support forced killing of millions of mink after concerns raised over disease risk and threat to livelihoods
The Danish government has dropped an attempt to pass emergency legislation allowing it to cull all mink in the country.

Last Wednesday the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said all the country’s mink would be culled due to fears that a Covid-19 mutation moving from mink to humans could jeopardise future vaccines.

But opposition to the move swiftly emerged. “Massive doubts over whether this cull is properly scientifically based [have] come to light now,” said Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the leader of Denmark’s largest opposition party, Venstre. “At the same time the government is taking away the livelihood of a large number of people without actually having the legal rights to do so....

Euthanize the sick animals if they can't be treated. Don't confuse culling with euthanasia. "Non-essential animals" would include humans and their pets. What species would be next if 'just in case' culling becomes the norm?
 
Je n'ai pas bien compris la mortalit? observ?e est li?e ? la couleur ou pas ? Et si oui, cela se v?rifie t-il en d'autres lieux ?
 
Mink cull puts Denmark's government in legal pinch

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark’s plans to cull all 17 million mink in the country following the finding of a mutated coronavirus strain among them, are facing legal obstacles after the government admitted it did not have legal basis for the order.

Authorities initiated the cull last week, saying the new strain could move to humans and evade future COVID-19 vaccines so the mink herd, one of the world’s biggest, needs to be eliminated.

On Tuesday the minority Social Democratic government will put forward hastily-drawn up legislation to back the cull but the opposition has said it would not allow the draft to bypass the usual 30 day legislative process.

Opposition parties say the cull of healthy mink should not have been initiated before plans were in place to compensate the owners and workers at some 1,100 mink farms.
 
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