Hamster-to-Human Covid Theory Gains Traction in Hong Kong

Hong Kong officials said they were more confident about the possibility that pet hamsters are spreading Covid in the city as newly uncovered infections are genetically distinct from the virus initially found in a pet shop clerk.

A female customer who tested positive after visiting the store has a strain that’s slightly different from the virus found in the 23-year-old index patient, an employee at the Little Boss pet shop, based on four small variations in its genetic code. The customer’s husband, who also tested positive for Covid, has the same strain, health officials said on a Thursday briefing.