HK study finds evidence of hamster-to-human virus spread

HONG KONG • Researchers have found evidence that pet hamsters can spread Covid-19 to people, and linked the animals to human infections in Hong Kong.

The study, published yesterday in The Lancet as a preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, provided the first documented evidence of hamster-to-human transmission of the Delta variant.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the city's government found two independent cases of such transmission, after testing viral swabs and blood samples from animals collected from local pet shops.

The hamsters in question were infected around Nov 21, before they were imported to Hong Kong, suggesting pet animal trade may be a pathway that facilitates Covid-19 to spread across borders, according to the study.

"This study reveals that pet hamsters can acquire Sars-CoV-2 infection in real-life settings and can transmit the virus back to humans" the researchers said in the study. "The Sars-CoV-2 circulating in hamsters can allow sustainable virus transmission in humans."

The Hong Kong government ordered the culling of hamsters after infections at pet shops.

It advised members of the public earlier this month to surrender hamsters purchased on or after Dec 22 for "humane dispatch", after some pet store workers and customers tested positive for the virus, and some of the animals imported from the Netherlands at the store tested preliminarily positive.

The government said on Friday it would compensate pet shops trading in hamsters after ordering a cull on the rodents.

The city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it would offer a one-off payment of up to HK$30,000 (S$5,200) to shops affected by the culling and tracing of people who had recently bought them. They also banned imports.

"All these measures have affected the business of pet shops selling hamsters," the department said in an announcement, adding that payments would be made from the government's anti-epidemic relief fund.

Earlier this month, the authorities enraged pet lovers with the order to cull more than 2,200 hamsters after tracing an outbreak to a worker in the shop where 11 hamsters tested positive.

In recent days, thousands of people have offered to adopt unwanted hamsters amid a public outcry, which the office of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam called irrational.

Hong Kong has for months pursued a "zero-Covid-19" strategy, making it one of the most isolated major cities in the world.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS