What We Know of Denmark’s Mink Mutation in Covid.19

In September 2020, Denmark announced that it would extract about 17 million minks because more than 12 people were infected with the novel coronavirus’s latest mutation.

In North Jutland, they discovered eight workers in the fur farming industry, and four more from neighboring communities tested positive for the virus’s mutated form. 

It’s not the first time mink-to-human transmission occurred. In April 2020, a Dutch mink farmer was diagnosed with Covid.19, and it was verified that both mink-to-human and vice versa transmission could occur. 

In the ensuing months, mink-related Covid.19 cases were reported in Sweden, Spain, Italy, and the United States. What sets the virus apart in Denmark is the evidence that it has mutated and could result in the evolution of new and threatening strains. 

Describing a Mutation

At least twenty mutations have been discovered within Covid.19 since its detection in humans in 2019. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) reports that most variations have had little effect on the novel virus. Some have even weakened it; this is per samples taken in October 2020. 

The concern arises when a virus moves from one species to another, increasing the severity of the mutation. The new host contains a different genetic and biological makeup, meaning the virus has to adapt and develop differently. 

A mutation becomes alarming when people who’ve had the virus develop immunity but are then infected with the new strain and won’t be immune to it. 

What’s in a Mink

Animals such as lions, tigers, cats, mink, ferrets, Golden Syrian hamsters, and Egyptian fruit bats are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Scientists have used mink and ferret species as far back as the mid-1930s to study influenza, and more recently, to test antivirals and vaccines. 

Minks are preferred test subjects because they display symptoms similar to that of humans, including sneezing and fever. 

Europe is the leading continent in fur production, manufacturing over 27 million mink pellets annually. Europe has over 2,750 mink farms, and 1,100 of them are in Denmark. The virus has spread rapidly in Denmark due to the farms’ exhaustive structure, involving the animals’ containment in steel mesh cages. 

Distressing News

The mink strain’s effect on antigenicity -the capacity of a virus to bind specifically to antibody molecules or T cell receptors- causes concern because vaccines are meant to activate immunity. The upcoming one might not safeguard against the mutation. 

Researchers are apprehensive because the worst-case scenario could mean that numerous mutations could occur, which theoretically means multiple vaccines have to be developed. 

Considering how long it takes to create a vaccine, Covid.19 will continue to mutate and may be with us for an extended period. 

Silver Lining

Scientists haven’t yet determined whether this new mutation is fatal. The ECDC expresses that although the mink strain differs; genetically, patients infected with it have shown symptoms no different to non-mink variants. 

Additionally, the mink farming division is relatively small when considering the global agriculture sector, and the likelihood of this animal collectively spreading the virus across borders is slim. 

To add to that, the ECDC claims that while the risk to farmworkers is moderate, the general population’s overall threat is slight. 

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Final Thoughts 

The discovery of a mutant strain of the coronavirus in minks has been a cause of alarm to Europe’s people, with a severe Denmark outbreak. 

Danish police and armed forces were deployed to control the recent eruptions, while farmers were forced to cull sick animals and healthy ones. 

Researchers have evaluated the risk of the new mutation and report that symptoms are similar to that of non-animal related strains of the virus.