Five minks test positive for COVID-19 following Fraser Valley farm outbreak

After a COVID-19 outbreak was declared at a Fraser Valley mink farm last weekend, health officials now say that five minks have tested positive for the virus.

“Test results from five mink samples taken from a Fraser Valley mink farm have all been confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries.

The Ministry explains that after several workers on the farm tested positive for COVID-19, mink samples were collected and submitted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg.

Health officials say that “the results were expected,” adding that additional testing to determine genome sequencing and the strain of the virus continues.

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The mink farm is currently under quarantine order to restrict the movement of any animals and materials on the property.

“The farm was inspected by the chief veterinarian and ministry staff as part of a routine inspection process in September 2020 and was found to comply with all animal welfare and biosecurity standards,” the Ministry adds. “The outbreak at this farm is not considered to pose a health risk to other mink farms.”