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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lifestyle
Asharq Al-Awsat

‘Very Little Risk’ that Pets Can Infect Owners with COVID-19

A man poses with his cat. Reuters file photo

There is 'very little risk' that pets can infect their owners with COVID-19, the chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, told a Geneva news conference that felines, ferrets and "even tigers" have been infected with the disease.

"There is very little risk from domestic animals because there was some concern about domestic animals becoming a source of infection," she said.

COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, has killed 516,370 worldwide.

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