- According to China's top expert, pets might be infected by the new virus
- Sales volume of dog-specific masks is increasing in China due to the coronavirus
- Online ecoomerce shops are selling 10 times more masks daily
- Death toll of the disease has reached to at least 180 in China
- There are now more than 9,200 people confirmed to have been infected globally
Chinese pet owners are rushing to buy face masks for their dogs amid the coronavirus outbreak to prevent their loved ones from catching the deadly disease.
The news comes after China's top expert for infectious diseases warned that pets might also be infected by the coronavirus, which has so far spread to 21 countries and regions and sickened more than 7,900 people.
The World Health Organization, however, claims that it has not seen any evidence of the virus being passed onto cats or dogs.
Can your beloved cat or dog give you coronavirus?
Experts agree, almost definitely not.
Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that samples from the dog's nasal and oral cavities had tested "weak positive" for novel coronavirus. It was believed to be the first time that a dog anywhere in the world tested positive for the virus.
The dog - which had no symptoms - was put into quarantine and will be repeatedly tested until the result comes back negative, according to the statement. The department "strongly advises" that pets of people infected with coronavirus are quarantined for 14 days.
Despite this, the AFCD and the World Health Organization both agree there is no evidence that pets such as cats or dogs can be infected with coronavirus.
That's because while dogs can test positive for the virus, it doesn't necessarily mean they have been infected.
Is it worth quarantining pets?
According to Gray, who was working in Hong Kong during SARS, there is still value in quarantining pets from a scientific perspective, because it allows scientists to observe how an animal relates to a disease we still know relatively little about.
"Whilst it seems a bit scary, it's purely a precautionary measure, and it's certainly nothing for pet owners in general to be concerned about," said Gray.
Some pet owners in mainland China have been fitting their dogs with tiny face masks, but Gray said there is no benefit to that -- in fact, it's probably fairly distressing for the pet and could cause them to panic.
Instead, pet owners should stick to the basics: good hygiene.
Both WHO and Gray said owners should wash their hands with soap and water after touching pets.
"I am certainly not in any concern of my dog or cats, I'm far more concerned about myself catching it from a human being that has the disease," said Gray, who is a pet owner herself.
As of today, the 25th of March the coronavirus has killed more than 20,912 people worldwide and the majority of them are from Europe, reaching a number of 13,582 people, according to AFP.
The number of cases infected with coronavirus passed 463,408, while 113,802 have recovered. More than 328,704 patients are in mild conditions and 14,379 are in either serious or critical condition.
Italy is the most affected country with over 7,503 death followed by Spain with 3,434 deaths and China, with 3,281.
As more countries are faced with complete lockdown, US Senate leader have agreed a $2 trillion stimulus package with the White House.
India is now on a lockdown for 21 days, with more than 1.3 million people on quarantine. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, told Indians that he was banning people from leaving their homes in order to save the country, all the citizens and their family. He also stressed that if after 21 days the situation will not stop or improve then the country’s development risked being set back 21 years.
New Zealand has declared State of National Emergency after reporting more than 200 cases of coronavirus. Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister, called on every citizen to ‘act like you have Covid-19’ and warned that those violating compulsory stay-at-home rules would face “no tolerance”.
As of today, there are more than three billion people living under lockdown measures in order to stop spreading the coronavirus, which the United Nations warned that is threatening all of humanity.
“Covid-19 is threatening the whole of humanity – and the whole of humanity must fight back,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, launching an appeal for $2 billion to help the world’s poor.
“Global action and solidarity are crucial. Individual country responses are not going to be enough.”
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Such protective equipment can make you dangerous to others.
Sometimes protective fabric masks are equipped with a special valve. In this case, the mask works like this - you inhale air through filters and exhale it through a one-way valve. Thus, warm air comes out from under the mask faster, it becomes easier to breathe, the mask is easier to wear, and glasses will not fog up.
We put on masks for two reasons. Firstly, we hope that they will protect us from COVID-19 (however, disputes are still underway regarding the effectiveness of masks). Secondly, more importantly, the mask does not allow us to infect others, if we are sick and do not suspect it.
The valve allows free passage of air as it exhales. This means that an infected person will spread particles of the virus around him as if he weren’t wearing any protection at all.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend using masks and respirators with valves to prevent infection with this disease.
Such protection can be worn in conditions of smog, dust and smoke - for example, at a construction site or factory where harmful particles are floating in the air. But the mask with the valve will not stop the spread of the virus.
Although it does not offer you 100% protection, a mask made by you at home is still better than no method of protection. The main advantage is that it can protect others from you.
With the pandemic, the demand for a number of objects increased, including medical masks. The supply was not up to par, which means that most countries face a shortage of such medical products. Thus, in order to protect yourself, those masks that you can make yourself at home are also useful, if you do not have access to the surgical ones.
But you have to take into account a very important thing: both the medical masks that, before the medical crisis, cost little more, and the ones made at home do not protect you from viruses. What they do is reduce the transmission of disease by protecting other people from the carrier.
First, you will need material, this can be a handkerchief, a cut-up T-shirt, or a new dish towel. The suggested size is 18 inches by 18 inches. Next, you will need hair ties, ribbon or cut-up tights or pantyhose – anything that can wrap comfortably behind the ears.
1) Lay the cloth flat on a plane surface.
2) Fold the top to the center of the cloth.
3) Fold the bottom to the center, to meet the top.
4) Flip the cloth over.
5) Fold the top to the center.
6) Fold the bottom to the center.
7) Flip over.
8) Thread the ends of the folded cloth through the ties.
9) Fold the ends of the cloth in to meet in the middle.
10) Flip it over, and you have a face mask that you can reuse and wash.
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