Denmark will kill about 17 million minks to contain spread of mutated coronavirus

Denmark has decided to cull about 17 million minks after a mutation of the coronavirus found in the animal transmitted to humans, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday.

According to Denmark’s online news website The Local, scientists at the country’s Statens Serum Institute – the Danish authority dealing with infectious diseases – found that 12 people, who contracted the virus, showed a reduced ability to produce antibodies, which could make the potential vaccine less effective.

Frederiksen said that coronavirus has been detected at 207 Danish mink farms.

“The mutated virus could have serious negative consequences for the whole world’s response to the ongoing pandemic,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference, adding that it has become necessary to cull all the minks.

Denmark is the largest fur industry in the world, producing 12-13 million skins on average each year.