MARQUETTE — The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that it has confirmed SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, in a domestic shorthair cat from Ingham County.

While a number of pets have tested positive for the virus worldwide, this is the first case in Michigan, MDARD said. The cat had close contact with its owners, who were confirmed to have COVID-19 about a week before the cat became ill. The cat was tested after it began to sneeze and has since recovered.

“Given the other reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 being found in pets throughout the world, this detection is not unexpected,” said state veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland in a news release. “The cases in animals generally have involved direct contact with an owner or caretaker who was ill or tested positive for COVID-19.”

As of Monday, there have been 257 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in animals throughout the United States, including 99 cats, since the start of the pandemic, MDARD reported. There is no evidence to suggest animals are playing a significant role in the transmission of the virus to humans and that the possibility is very low.

“COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing and talking,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in a news release. “Protecting pets begins by taking precautions to protect yourself by getting one of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.”

An additional step to protect pets from the virus that causes COVID-19 includes people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 avoiding direct contact with animals — including kissing them, snuggling them, having them sleep in an ill person’s bed and sharing food with an ill person, MDARD said. If possible, another member of the household who is not sick should care for pets.

If people with COVID-19 must care for a pet, they should wear a mask and wash their hands before and after interacting with them.

Signs of SARS-CoV-2 in animals can include fever, sneezing, coughing, nasal discharge, eye discharge, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Individuals who believe their pets are sick with the virus or have concerns about their pets’ health are urged to contact their veterinarians, MDARD said.

Testing is recommended in some circumstances, including for animals with recent exposure to a person suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. A veterinarian will need to obtain approval to test animals for SARS-CoV-2 from MDARD by calling 800-292-3939.

Flu shots recommended

MDHHS urges Michiganders to get their flu vaccine as soon as possible to protect themselves and their communities from flu, especially while continuing to battle COVID-19.

Getting a flu vaccine is critical this season because flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will likely be spreading simultaneously, MDHHS said. Residents are able to get their COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as their flu vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who are at higher risk for contracting flu are also at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19.

“I encourage every Michigander to get their flu shot as soon as possible to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Last year, 3.5 million Michiganders got flu shots, and this year, I know that we can meet MDHHS’s statewide goal by bringing that number up to 4 million. Over the last 18 months, we’ve all seen just how critical vaccines are to keeping people safe from disease, and I want to thank every Michigander who has received their COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot.”

Whitmer noted she has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and received her flu shot last week.

The flu vaccine is the best way to reduce risk from the seasonal flu and its potential serious complications, MDHHS said. Each year, flu vaccinations reduce the burden of influenza significantly in the United States, which prevents millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths.

MDHHS said that last flu season, approximately 3.5 million people in Michigan received a flu vaccine as reported to the Michigan Care Improvement Registry. The state of Michigan has set a goal of vaccinating a total of 4 million Michiganders for the 2021-22 flu season.

Public health professionals indicate that community mitigation measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as masking and social distancing and influenza vaccination, could have contributed to the below-average amount of influenza cases last season, MDHHS said.

However, it pointed out that during a typical flu season like the 2019-20 flu season, the nation recorded 39 to 56 million estimated cases of the flu, 18 to 26 million medical visits due to the flu and nearly half a million flu hospitalizations. Despite its comparison to the common cold, the flu is a serious and potentially deadly disease, especially for children, older people and people with chronic health conditions.

Flu vaccines are available now at local health departments, physician offices and pharmacies around the state.

Individuals may find a nearby location using the Vaccine Finder at www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/. More information can be found at Michigan.gov/flu or IVaccinate.org.

Aspirus

Reports of COVID-19 breakthrough cases make national headlines frequently, said Aspirus Health, based in Wausau, Wisconsin, a recent example being the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell from COVID-19 complications.

These reports are coming at the same time the FDA is announcing its recommendations for COVID-19 boosters. Aspirus acknowledged that all this information adds to confusion about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and the need for booster shots.

“The intent of the booster shot is to rev up that immunity again and get it acting at its full potential,” said Dr. Michael Walters, Aspirus Senior System physician executive of Specialty Care, in a news release. “Think of it as a series like you would see with a lot of other vaccinations that you would have had as a child or even as an adult, such as your tetanus shots.”

COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the Aspirus Health system, it said, largely impact people who are not fully vaccinated, but breakthrough infections happen, too. On Tuesday, 27% of COVID-positive patients in the Aspirus system had been fully vaccinated.

“It reinforces that idea that over time, your immunity will wane as you get further away from your initial vaccination series and so it really stresses that need for a booster shot,” Walters said.

However, Walters said that’s how people’s bodies and vaccines work.

“The intent of the vaccinations is not to prevent you from getting the disease, it’s to prevent serious infection, hospitalization and death,” he said.

New data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services shows significantly higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death among individuals who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These rates in September were five times higher for infection, nine times higher for hospitalization and 19 times higher for death.

Anyone can visit aspirus.org/vaccine for more information about the difference between a third COVID-19 shot and boosters, as well as guidance on who is eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot.

Those eligible for COVID-19 vaccine or a booster shot can schedule through the MyAspirus app or MyAspirus.org. Currently, only Pfizer-BioNTech boosters are available. Scheduling options will be added for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson once they are authorized by the CDC and DHS.

Fishing concerns

expressed

Michigan fishing guides reported a 22% loss in revenue from the 2019 to the 2020 fishing season, Michigan Sea Grant said.

In July, Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension surveyed fishing guides in the state to learn more about threats to their industry and potential solutions. Questions were designed to address the impact of the pandemic on the guiding business and gather guides’ opinions on fishing pressure, steelhead limits and proposed legislation.

According to Michigan Sea Grant, guides dealt with safety concerns and a shifting regulatory landscape in 2020, which included a ban on all motorized boating for several weeks during the spring steelhead season and vague guidance on requirements for masks and social distancing in outdoor settings that persisted through midsummer.

In the survey, guides assessed pandemic-related threats and other issues facing the industry. Safety concerns due to the pandemic scored lowest on the threat scale, while concerns regarding pandemic-related restrictions scored slightly higher.

The guides indicated the biggest lingering concern regarding direct effects of the pandemic was the impact on steelhead stocking. Steelhead were not artificially spawned in 2020, which resulted in a missing 2021 year-class for stocked steelhead.

Increased fishing pressure was noted as the most severe threat facing fishing guides overall, they said. Increased pressure may be an indirect effect of the pandemic, along with increased steelhead harvest and overharvest of other species due to the increased interest in outdoor recreation, Michigan Sea Grant said.

However, there are likely other factors at play, with guides noting the existence of illegal guiding, enforcement issues and issues with specific access sites and restrictions on certain types of use.

Results from the survey could serve as a springboard to broader discussion of potential solutions to problems related to limited data reporting on streams, appropriate regulations for the industry and management of key species such as steelhead, Michigan Sea Grant said.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.