Covid—19 Cow Tested Positive

The news of a cow circulating on social media that the cow was infected with Covid-19.

Through investigation, we realize that the information was wrong and the picture in question was used on opera news as a funny picture.

Nasir Yusuf, an executive in the Kano chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, told Africa Check the claim was false. “There are many journalists in Kano and none of us published such news about a ram testing positive for COVID-19. I am hearing the news for the first time,” Yusuf said. 

He added that he hadn’t heard anything like that from anyone in the journalists’ network in Niger or Katsina state either. 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s communication team told us no animal testing had been done in the country.

 None of its laboratories had reported anything like a goat testing positive for COVID-19. Animals can get COVID-19 According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “several dogs and cats (domestic) in contact with infected humans have tested positive for COVID-19”. Minks raised in farms for fur have also tested positive. 

The WHO advises that people who are sick with COVID-19 and people who are at risk should limit contact with pets and other animals. But, for now, there are no trustworthy reports of goats contracting the disease.