Russia has registered the “world’s first” veterinary vaccine against COVID-19 for animals. The shot, called Carnivac-Kov, was made by the Federal Center for Animal Health (FGBI), a force based in the Russian veterinary health authority Rosselkhoznadzor. According to an announcement this week, the company said the vaccine is now ready for mass production, ready to produce about 10,000 doses per day.
Carnivac-Cove will be commercially available in Russia and will cost 588 rubles ($7.72) for a two-dose vaccination course
Estimates of the vaccine’s study began in August 2020, which included 130 mink, 130 cats, 130 dogs and 130 ferrets, followed by more cats, dogs and fur-carrying animals in October. On all accounts, the trials were successful, although no data from the study were made public. Konstantin Savenkov, Deputy Head of Rosselkhoznadzor, said in a statement, “Clinical trials … which began in October last year, involved dogs, cats, Arctic foxes, minks, foxes and other animals. All of the vaccinated animals tested produced antibodies to the coronavirus.”
Several great apps at the San Diego Zoo in the United States have recently been vaccinated against Covid-19, but the shot is still considered experimental and has not been registered for extensive veterinary care. The vaccine was developed by Zoetis, an American-based pharmaceutical company that first created the job with dogs and cats in mind. It is unclear whether this veterinary vaccine will be commercially available in the near future. The question is: do pet owners need to vaccinate their animals? The short answer is probably not. The option will be there for pet owners in Russia, but there is no urgent need to vaccinate pets from a public health perspective.
Among other things, the vaccine is not widely available outside of Russia. A number of different animals have been infected around the world, including the virus responsible for COVID-19, the stork-covi-2. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, at least 115 cats, 81 dogs, 27 caps, large cats and at least 3 captive gorillas have been confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV-2 by March 2, 2021. Some preliminary studies have suggested that the new variants may cause heart problems in cats and dogs.
However, there are relatively few reports of pets becoming seriously ill due to infection. In addition, it is thought that dogs and cats do not play a significant role in transmitting the virus to humans. The veterinary vaccine, however, can be very effective when working with mink. More than 419 mink firms worldwide have reported a Kavid-19 outbreak. Due to the shrinking condition of livestock farms, it is very easy for the virus to enter the mink population after it has entered. It has also been clear for some time that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted from mink to humans.
