Cats in Cyprus are being given human COVID-19 drugs in an effort to sluggish the unfold of a feline mutation of the virus that has left 1000’s of animals {dead} on the island.
Cats began getting the medicine on Tuesday, which coincidentally was Worldwide Cat Day.
Chatting with The Guardian, Christodoulos Pipis, the federal government’s veterinary providers director, mentioned: “We now have taken inventory of 500 bins of treatment.
“That is the primary batch of two,000 packages that shall be made out there. Every one comprises 40 capsules, so we’re speaking a couple of complete of 80,000 tablets.”
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which can’t be transmitted to people, has been spreading among the many island’s cats since January.
It isn’t associated to COVID-19 however could be handled with a medicine referred to as Lagevrio, which is used to deal with coronavirus in people.
Dinos Ayiomamitis, head of Cats PAWS Cyprus, beforehand informed Sky Information the outbreak would have “catastrophic” penalties if it reached the UK.
Mr Ayiomamitis and different animals activists have mentioned the virus has killed round 300,000 cats on the island.
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Costas Himonas, senior pharmacist on the Cyprus well being ministry, has mentioned 2,000 packages of the drug shall be made out there to vets incrementally over the following month.
Mr Himonas mentioned there is no such thing as a threat that present pharmaceutical shares shall be depleted to the purpose that remedy of any COVID-19 surge in folks could be compromised.
FIP has been round since 1963 and is unfold by way of contact with cat faeces.
If left untreated, it may be deadly for the animals.