Polish mink Covid-19 strain 'can pass to humans'

Agricultural ministry warns the strain can spread from mink to humans and vice versa

Medical staff work at a mink farm in a village near Kartuzy, northern Poland. EPA

A strain of coronavirus discovered in mink in Poland can infect humans, the Polish government said.

Poland's agricultural ministry said on Saturday that the variant found in mink on a farm in the north of the country can be transmitted from mink to humans and humans to animals.

The strain was found last month at farm in Kartuzy county, about 30 kilometres west of Gdansk,  in what officials said was the first such case in Poland, raising fears of costly culls in an industry that has more than 350 farms.

"Data obtained from the chief sanitary inspectorate and last year's experiences in Denmark and the Netherlands clearly indicate that also in Poland, this virus can spread from mink to humans and vice-versa," the ministry said.

Denmark's entire herd of about 17 million mink, one of the world's largest, was ordered to be culled in November after hundreds of farms suffered outbreaks of coronavirus, and authorities found mutated strains of the virus among people.

In August, the Netherlands decided to order the closure of more than 100 mink farms after several employees contracted the coronavirus.

Following the discovery of the virus at the farm in Kartuzy county, Polish authorities said all mink there would be culled.

In Denmark, the mink cull became a national scandal, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in tears when she apologised for the government's mishandling of the crisis.

The cull was ordered when it was thought the mink outbreak could jeopardise the effectiveness of future vaccines.

But a few days after the cull began, the government was forced to admit it did not have enough legal basis to order the kill.

Its woes are still far from over after an environmental study revealed groundwater near the burial pits could quickly become contaminated.

Last month, British scientists said vaccinating pets against the coronavirus could be necessary to stop the spread.