Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people, and others cause illness in certain types of animals. Some coronaviruses that infect animals can sometimes be spread to people, but this is rare.
CDC claims that they do not know the exact source of the current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The first infections were thought to be linked to a live animal market, but the virus is now primarily spreading from person to person. At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.
Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be low. CDC is still learning about this virus, but it appears that it can spread from people to animals in some situations.
The first case of an animal testing positive for the virus in the United States was in a tiger that had a respiratory illness at a zoo in New York City.
CDC is aware of a small number of pets, including cats and dogs, to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19.
Treat pets as you would other human family members – do not let pets interact with people or animals outside the household. If a person inside the household becomes sick, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets.
Further studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by the virus that causes COVID-19 and the role animals may play in the spread of COVID-19.
