Valdai Club

On August 18, the Valdai Club held an expert discussion, titled "Coronavirus for Animals: How to Avoid a New Pandemic?"

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted intense pressure on the global economy. The emergence of vaccines has brought positive expectations, however, according to experts, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has not yet fully realised its pathogenic potential. The emergence of Variants of Concern is a clear indication that the virus is actively evolving. In addition, the World Health Organisation has already confirmed that humans can infect dogs, cats, and farm animals with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Earlier, coronavirus infections were detected in pets in Italy and Mexico. Dogs and cats have been infected several times in Argentina. This evidence allows us to raise the question of whether domestic and farm animals can become a reservoir for the further evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and, subsequently, a source of secondary infection threatening humans.