KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) faculty of veterinary medicine said it did not issue a message circulating on social media purporting of a research into cats transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 to humans.
The faculty said it was not conducting any study regarding cats transmitting the virus to human, and instead it was the other way around.
“We want to make it clear that this message was not from us and the contents are not true.
“This message came from the actions of a person who is irresponsible,” said the faculty’s dean, Prof Dr Abdul Rahman Omar.
The faculty also advised members of the public not to react negatively to the fake post or to spread it further.
Dr Abdul Rahman also highlighted that there has been no scientific evidence to suggest the transmission of Covid-19 between humans and common household pets was possible.
An existing research conducted by UPM has already been closed to any participants since May 23 this year.
On May 23, UPM’s veterinary faculty under Farina Mustaffa Kamal was seeking samples from approximately 220 pet cats belonging to owners who have recently been infected by the virus.
