SARS-CoV-2 in mink farms in British Columbia, Canada: A report of two outbreaks in 2020–2021

Abstract

Background: Since April 2020, mink have been recognized as a potential reservoir for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a potential source of new variants. The objective of this report is to describe the epidemiological investigation and public health response to two coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks that involved both humans and farmed mink.

Methods: An outbreak was declared on December 4, 2020, following detection of two COVID-19-positive farmworkers and elevated mink mortality on a mink farm (Farm 1) in British Columbia. The second cluster was detected on Farm 3 following detection of 1) a COVID-19 case among farm staff on April 2, 2021, 2) an indeterminate result from farm staff on May 11, 2021, and 3) subsequent SARS-CoV-2-positive mink in May 2021. Quarantine of infected farms, isolation of workers and their close contacts, and introduction of enhanced infection control practises were implemented to break chains of transmission.

Results: Among mink farmworkers, 11 cases were identified at Farm 1 and 6 cases were identified at Farm 3. On both Farm 1 and Farm 3, characteristic COVID-19 symptoms were present in farm employees before signs were observed in the minks. The viral sequences from mink and human samples demonstrated close genetic relation. Phylogenetic analyses identified mink intermediates linking human cases, suggesting anthropo-zoonotic transmission.

Conclusion: These were the first COVID-19 outbreaks that included infected mink herds in Canada and identified potential anthropogenic and zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We provide insight into the positive impact of regulatory control measures and surveillance to reduce the spillover of SARS-CoV-2 mink variants into the general population.