Dogs, cats can't pass on coronavirus, but can test positive (update)

Dogs wearing masks seen in Shanghai at the height of the Covid-19 epidemic in China on Feb 19, 2020. - AFP

HONG KONG (AP): Pet cats and dogs cannot pass the new coronavirus on to humans, but they can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their owners.

That's the conclusion of Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department after a dog in quarantine tested weakly positive for the virus on Feb 27, Feb 28 and March 2, using the canine's nasal and oral cavity samples.