TGen COVID-19 Study To Collect Samples From Pets
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In an effort to help pet owners, pets and the community, The Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, will conduct COVID-19 tests on pets.
They will be visiting the homes of pet owners who have tested positive within the past two weeks. They will be collecting three different types of samples to look for COVID-19 and also antibodies in pets. Both project staff and pet owners will follow safety precautions during the sample collection process. There is currently no evidence that pets can spread the disease to humans, but they can catch the disease.
TGen received a grant from the Arizona Department of Health Services to conduct a pilot study regarding this matter. The funds came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
Hayley Yaglom is a genomics epidemiologist at TGen.
“The human animal bond is so important especially during this pandemic where social isolation has become a common theme for a lot of individuals, so we really want to be able to support the human animal bond," Yaglom said.
Yaglom said they are hoping to sample up to 100 dogs and cats to better understand how humans could possibly spread the virus to their pets, risk factors and long-term effects. They’ll also be providing resources to pet owners that can help keep their animals healthy and safe.
For more information, send questions to [email protected].
