Israelis could be infected with new strain of coronavirus from Danish mink

Three Israelis who returned from Denmark and were confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus may have been infected with the new strain recently discovered in the country’s mink, according to KAN news.

The new strain may have reduced sensitivity to antibodies, which could impact future vaccines, although studies are still ongoing to verify this.

The health ministry explained that they were performing the tests to be sure, although only a small number of people have been confirmed to be carriers of the new mutation and the likelihood of a patient with the infection arriving in Israel. is weak.

The Ministry and Home Front Command are working together to locate travelers from Denmark and contact them to take special tests for the coronavirus and to test if they are carriers of the mutation. All travelers from Denmark are urged to go into quarantine until they receive the results.

Denmark will now be considered a red country due to the discovery of the new strain, despite relatively low infection rates in the country.

Danish authorities said five cases of the new virus strain had been recorded in mink farms and 12 in humans, and that there were between 15 and 17 million mink in the country. Overall, 214 human cases of COVID-19 associated with mink farms have been identified in Denmark, although not all have been associated with the new strain of the virus.

Six countries have reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 in farmed mink, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the United States, according to the WHO.

Aaron Reich and Reuters contributed to this report.