Mink-Coronavirus “Cluster-5”: Why Experts Want to Quickly Eradicate It
Explaining why coronavirus evolution in minks poses a threat, leading to the decision to cull 17 million minks in Denmark.
Denmark has decided to slaughter all farmed minks — 17 million of them — due to a mutated SARS-CoV-2 found circulating in over 200 mink farms. The mink-coronavirus first infected 12 workers and 200 more humans later, although the workers did not seem to show worse Covid-19. About 400 farms were already culled. Owing to the mink-coronavirus outbreak, the U.K. has just banned travelers from Denmark.
And the WHO is aware of the situation, naming the mink-coronavirus “cluster-5” variant with a set of mutations not previously seen. “Preliminary findings indicate that this particular mink-associated variant identified in both minks and the 12 human cases has moderately decreased sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies,” the WHO stated, but also mentioned that more data is needed.
Culling to eradicate mink-coronavirus
The Danish government reported that the mink-coronavirus has several mutations in the spike protein — the virus component that binds to the ACE2 receptor on human cells — making it more resistant to human antibodies…
