Denmark to Cull 17 Million Mink Amid SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Concerns

Government authorities say because the animals are good hosts of the novel coronavirus, and this new viral variant could undermine vaccine efforts against COVID-19, they are destroying the nation's entire stock of mink.

Lisa Winter

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According to government officials in Denmark, mink raised on Danish farms carry a mutated version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is less sensitive to antibodies, which they say might thwart vaccine development. Minks readily host and spread the virus and because this strain has now been found in humans, the prime minister announced on November 4 that Denmark would cull the entire stock of its mink farms, which equates to about 17 million animals spread across 1,000 farms.

So far, five human cases of this strain are linked to mink farms, and 12 people have become infected in all. According to reports, the Danish government has shared its findings with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. “We have been informed by Denmark of a number of persons infected with coronavirus from mink, with some genetic changes in ...

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Meet the Author

Lisa Winter
Lisa Winter became social media editor for The Scientist in 2017. In addition to her duties on social media platforms, she also pens obituaries for the website. She graduated from Arizona State University, where she studied genetics, cell, and developmental biology.
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