Minks in Iceland Test Negative for Coronavirus

All tests for the coronavirus, conducted by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority at Icelandic mink farms, turned out negative, according to Morgunblaðið. The Ministry of Industry and Innovation has enacted stricter disease prevention measures at the farms, as recommended by the Food and Veterinary Authority.

The decision to screen minks at Icelandic mink farms for the coronavirus was made after a mutated strain of the coronavirus was discovered to have spread from minks to people at mink farms in Denmark. Vaccines being developed were thought not to be effective against the new strain of the virus. New reports from Denmark indicate that the new strain has likely been eradicated.

There are nine mink farms in Iceland, and at all of them, minks were tested. The results from University of Iceland’s Institute for Experimental Pathology, Keldur, show that all the samples turned out to be negative for the virus.

The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority plans to test minks at all nine farms on a regular basis this winter. Workers at the farms will be tested as well.

In order to protect minks from catching COVID-19, workers will from now on have to follow stricter disease prevention rules; the transportation of live minks will be prohibited, as well as unnecessary visits to mink farms. Minks will no longer be among the animals at the Reykjavík Zoo.