Russia develops first Covid-19 vaccine for animals

On Tuesday 31 March 2021, Russia gave approval to a Covid-19 vaccine for animals, after tests showed it was 100% effective.

The clinical trials of the vaccine started in October 2020 on different carnivorous animals, namely cats, dogs, foxes and minks. All animals were able to develop antibodies to Covid-19.

The vaccine, called Carnivac-Cov, was developed by one of the subsidiaries of Rosselkhoznadzor, a federal animal health center. Several European countries have already shown interest in the drug, whose mass production is scheduled for April 2021.

For the record, many animal species including cats and minks can be infected with Covid-19. Such was the case in Denmark where millions of minks had been culled in November 2020, in order to prevent the spread of the virus.