(Kaiser Health News)As Covid-19 cases surge in the US, one Texas veterinarian has been quietly tracking the spread of the disease — not in people, but in their pets.
Since June, Sarah Hamer and her team at Texas A&M University have tested hundreds of animals from area households where humans contracted Covid-19. They've swabbed dogs and cats, sure, but also pet hamsters and guinea pigs, looking for signs of infection. "We're open to all of it," said Hamer, a professor of epidemiology, who has found at least 19 cases of infection.
Kaitlyn Romoser and her 7-year-old cat, Phoenix, both tested positive for the coronavirus. Romoser tested positive in March and again in September.