GENEVA: WHO has said that new cases of Coronavirus at mink farms have been reported in six countries across the globe. They include Denmark, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. According to reports, Copenhagen has warned the mutation could threaten the effectiveness of any future vaccine and has ordered the slaughter of all the estimated 15-17 million minks in the country.
On November 7, Britain decided to ban the entry of all non-resident foreigners from Denmark after the mutation linked to mink farms was found in humans. However, scientists say virus mutations are common and often harmless, and this one does not cause a more severe illness in humans. Releasing a statement on Friday, the WHO said, “"Initial observations suggest that the clinical presentation, severity and transmission among those infected are similar to that of other circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses. However, this variant... the 'cluster 5' variant, had a combination of mutations, or changes that have not been previously observed. The implications of the identified changes in this variant are not yet well understood.” “Although the virus is believed to be ancestrally linked to bats, its origin and intermediate host(s) of SARS-CoV-2 have not yet been identified," WHO added.
