Round table on COVID-19 in animals in Moscow, Russia

The Russian Federal Service for animal and plant health (Rosselkhoznadzor) launched the first nationally registered animal vaccine against SARS-COV-2 in March 2021 and organized a press conference at RIA Novosti headquarters (Russia Today) in Moscow.  Members of the Tripartite organization for One Health (OIE, FAO, WHO) were invited, as well as national veterinary experts.

Dr Budimir Plavsic, OIE Regional Representative, as an invited speaker, made a presentation on OIE’s response and recommendations to COVID-19, with the following details:  establishment of the OIE expert groups from early 2020 onwards, OIE guidance to OIE Members and General Public, risks of animals passing diseases to humans, risks associated to interaction with wild animals. He presented OIE COVID-19 Portal and events in animals, Guidance on working with farmed susceptible animals, but also added elements about the One Health.

He underlined that close collaboration between animal and public health authorities is imperative to better identify and reduce the impact of this disease, and that a global One Health approach is needed to understand risks for animal and human health, as well as ecosystem health.

Dr Plavsic informed participants that OIE currently recommends the following measures as the best way to reduce the risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 in susceptible farmed species:

1. Prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between humans and susceptible animals, by implementing national risk reduction strategies (including strict biosecurity)
2. Monitor susceptible animals, such as mink and racoon dogs, as well as humans in close contact with them, for SARS-CoV-2 infection adopting a One Health approach.
3. Report animal cases to veterinary authorities, and to the OIE through the World Animal Health Information System (OIE-WAHIS)
4. Share scientific information and research data with the global health community.

The risk of susceptible animals, such as mink, becoming a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir generates worldwide concern, as it could pose a continued public health risk and lead to future spillover events to humans. While the COVID-19 pandemic is currently sustained through human-to-human transmission, there are concerns that the introduction and circulation of new virus strains in humans could result in modifications of transmissibility or virulence and decreased efficacy of health measures. Yet, the full consequences remain unknown, and further investigation is needed to fully understand the impact of these mutations.

The whole conference is available online on the Rosselkhoznadzor website by the following link.

More information on OIE positions and recommendations are available here:

• OIE web portal on COVID-19
• OIE Guidance on working with farmed animals of species susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2
• OIE Guidelines for Working with Free-Ranging Wild Mammals in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Factsheet on SARS-CoV-2 in animals
• SARS-CoV-2 mink-associated variant strain – Denmark, World Health Organization (WHO)
• OIE statement on COVID-19 and mink: OIE – World Organisation for Animal Health
• Events in animals: OIE – World Organisation for Animal Health
• https://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/MM/Draft_OIE_Guidance_farmed_animals_cleanMS05.11.pdf
• https://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/MM/GLEWS_risk_assessment_fur_animals_SARS_CoV_2.pdf