Denmark plans to cull its mink population after coronavirus mutation spreads to humans:
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark will cull its mink population of up to 17 million after a mutation of the coronavirus found in the animals spread to humans, the prime minister said on Wednesday.
[...] Health authorities found virus strains in humans and in mink which showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of future vaccines, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
"We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well," Frederiksen told a news conference.
The findings, which have been shared with the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, were based on laboratory tests by the State Serum Institute, the Danish authority dealing with infectious diseases.
[...] Authorities in Denmark said five cases of the new virus strain had been recorded on mink farms and 12 cases in humans, and that there were between 15 million and 17 million mink in the country.
[...] "The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting all over again out of Denmark," said Kare Molbak, director at the State Serum Institute.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @11:45AM (4 children)
We have the same issues here in the Netherlands of mink farms being a storage of corona, but our government is reluctant of taking the smart decision. They want to protect these farmers from losing their income (this business will be forbidden in a few years any way and until then they are allowed to EXPAND). For what? A product that we don't need in Western Europe and is 100% exported across the globe.
(Score: -1) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday November 05 2020, @01:29PM (1 child)
You have Jewish lies taking away first your furry coats, then all your dietary protein and family holidays along with it. Before you realize it, you'll be eating bugs and living in mud huts like bushniggers because psychotic Jews hate you and everybody else not like them.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:12PM
This sounds crazy, but is actually based on truth. Just like how Dutch kids are shown Schindler's list in school like it's true history, while Jews import brown and black "people" from the middle east and africa to breed the Dutch out of existence and commit crimes against them, while Dutch try to make sure they are not "racist".
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:57PM (1 child)
Actually that's not correct, from a government website [rijksoverheid.nl]:
"Nertsenhouders hebben nu tot 1 januari 2024 de tijd om te stoppen met hun bedrijf. Dit zal worden vervroegd naar het voorjaar van 2021 (vóórdat de paartijd van nertsen begint). Daarmee wordt voorkomen dat nertsenbedrijven op de lange termijn een besmettingsbron vormen voor mensen."
Google translate:
"Mink farmers now have until January 1, 2024 to stop their business. This will be brought forward to spring 2021 (before the mink mating season begins). This prevents mink farms from being a source of contamination for humans in the long term."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @10:31AM
Yeah, of course the deadline has been moved earlier, after protest of people, ... but in the mean time outbreaks keep happening (like more than half of the farms in the country have been infected by now). With pigs and poultry (which is actually consumed in the country as well) they are quicker of closing down farms.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @01:01PM
Is this another case of,
"...and so it begins?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @01:38PM (3 children)
I would have just isolated the bastards for 14 days. In fact why don't we just take a word-wide 14 days at home quarantine?
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:10PM (2 children)
It would take more like 30 days or more.
That and covidiots acting like it's nothing. Nearly 240,000 US dead even with the half-assed measures we've taken. ICUs filling to capacity too. Better hope you don't need medical care this winter.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by pipedwho on Friday November 06 2020, @02:43AM (1 child)
If the whole world quarantined, the duration is directly proportional to the number of people sharing each 'quarantine cell'.
If everyone was individually isolated, 14 days would likely be a minimum, with the remaining people who test positive at the end of the 14 days delayed until they test negative.
If people are group isolated, then the virus has a worst case spread time of 14 days * the number of people - assuming all positive cases are detected every 14 days and individually isolated.
Also, if the testing is 100% (which it isn't), then out of 7+ billion people, there would be a few positive cases back out in the wild after the isolation period is lifted. Thus restarting the whole thing all over again.
The best that can be done is to limit the number of positive cases to a small enough (but not necessarily zero) amount, put proper social distancing/mask wearing in place to reduce the speed of a new wave, maintain testing for anyone with any cold like symptoms, and track/trace exposure thereon. Look at Australia, Korea, Taiwan, etc for good examples of how this can be made to work. Quarantining and testing everyone at the border is critical too. This needs to be government mandated/driven exercise.
Of course, that's assuming we don't just pull a Sweden/Brazil/USA, and say "fuckit, just let 'er rip, let the old people die"
(Score: 2) by pipedwho on Friday November 06 2020, @02:46AM
* the number of people in the largest group
(Score: 2) by fadrian on Thursday November 05 2020, @01:40PM (1 child)
This variant sounds bad. On the other hand, where do rich people's mistresses get their mink coats now? Gotta switch to diamonds. Damn decisions.
That is all.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday November 06 2020, @03:41AM
Brings to mind the old joke. "Girls get minks the same way minks get minks."
200 million years is actually quite a long time.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday November 05 2020, @01:42PM (8 children)
Well that's all nice and good but what are the characteristics of the virus? You know, similar to the coronavirus that causes the cold? Deadlier than coronaids but barely contagious? Zombie apocalypse? A day of the sniffles but soon to be endemic? That's kinda important information.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by acid andy on Thursday November 05 2020, @02:11PM (3 children)
Yep if this is just some politician getting hysterical over a relatively benign cold virus (possibly for an ulterior motive) then it doesn't sound like a very good approach. Do they intend to play whack-a-mole with every species they find that has a disease transmissible to humans? If you look hard enough (and this must be a lucrative area of research right now) there are probably coronaviruses in countless mammalian species that could make the jump. Might as well just wipe out all non-human species, just to be sure. I mean, we were on our way there anyway, right? Except the snottites; they can go viral.
error count exceeds 100; stopping compilation
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @03:52PM (2 children)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/05/europe/denmark-mink-cull-coronavirus-intl-hnk-scli/index.html [cnn.com]
That is why. I doubt there's enough information to know if this strain is more infectious or deadlier than the others, but it seems resistant to antibodies that are effective against other variants of the virus. In the short term, this makes treatments more difficult because convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines require that antibodies be effective against the virus. If the variant is resistant to those treatments, it's a setback that will likely prolong the pandemic.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:15PM (1 child)
you can shove your vaccines up your ass, you fucking cowardly slave. innocent minks needn't die for chicken shit humans.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:29PM
They have a pretty miserable and short existence in the small cages of most mink farms anyway.
error count exceeds 100; stopping compilation
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:17PM (1 child)
+1 Insightful; -1 for using the stupid nickname.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday November 06 2020, @03:01PM
When it's as deadly to those who contract it as the smallpox or spanish flu it's getting treated like, I'll give it that kind of respect. Until then, I shall mock both it and those who declare the sky to be falling with the stupid name.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:38PM (1 child)
210k dead and we're seeing a spiking infection rate of over 100k in a single day, and here you are still trying to minimize it like a stubborn child. You're a special kind of screwed up, please see a therapist.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday November 06 2020, @02:58PM
Do you have any idea how many types of coronavirus there are? Do you have any idea of the ranges of contagion and deadliness within those types? If not, you need to inform yourself. If so, you're just a moron trolling and can fuck off.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Taxi Dudinous on Thursday November 05 2020, @01:43PM (5 children)
They are such a diverse group of mammals. Tried Mink farming, but they are too bitey when being milked. As a result I will stick to Badgers.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @03:22PM (4 children)
Have you tried Tasmanian Devils?
(Score: 1) by Taxi Dudinous on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:08PM (3 children)
Oooh Marsupials are a bit creepy! Like the American Opossum for example. I just can't trust an animal with 13 teats!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:20PM (2 children)
You might prefer wolverines, or badgers. If you left the mustelid family, polar bear might be good but you would need a larger milk bucket.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:11PM
Try milking a Grizzly.
(Score: 1) by Taxi Dudinous on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:13PM
BUCKET? WOT? I may need to rethink this.
(Score: 5, Funny) by RamiK on Thursday November 05 2020, @02:34PM (1 child)
Can't shake the image of PETA protestors scratching their heads trying to form an opinion as Viking bards sing of the Great
TribbleMink Hunt...compiling...
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:54PM
This is basically a mink holocaust.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @02:47PM (1 child)
One event like this and all gone.
Mean-while the European Mink is endangered by an invasive species: the American Mink
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/08/scientists-think-they-can-save-european-mink-killing-its-ruthless-rivals [sciencemag.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:32PM
'MURICA! FUCK YEAH!
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday November 05 2020, @02:48PM (2 children)
Where is the mink market these days? I can't remember the last time I saw anyone wearing mink anything in NYC. The last time was in the 90's before people started throwing red paint on ladies wearing mink coats.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @03:12PM (1 child)
Asia, China in particular.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @03:45AM
Anywhere that is going to slaughter the last rhinos because some old man can't get it up is not going to worry about the "fur is murder" meme.