All school districts in San Diego County will close all schools beginning on Monday in a precaution as the spread of the coronavirus continues and now includes five presumptive cases in San Diego.
Image by Christine Sponchia from Pixabay
On January 8, gorillas were found to have been infected with the coronavirus and the United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the positive result on January 11.
“Aside from some congestion and coughing, the gorillas are doing well,” said Lisa Peterson, executive director, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “The troop remains quarantined together and are eating and drinking. We are hopeful for a full recovery.”
It is suspected the gorillas acquired the infection from an asymptomatic staff member, despite following all recommended precautions including COVID-19 safety protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and San Diego County Public Health as well as wearing PPE when near the gorillas.
The test results confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in some of the gorillas and does not definitively rule out the presence of the virus in other members.