Published on May 24, 2021 by AnneRecent researchers have discovered the presence of a new coronavirus strain found in dogs. Nope, don’t worry! The coronavirus being talked about here is not the corona we have now. It is not COVID. Instead, it is a new canine coronavirus strain being studied by epidemiologists in the world. What makes this new strain such breaking news, then? It may be one of the first canine coronaviruses that is transmissible to humans.Research is still underwayOne patient in Malaysia, who was suffering from pneumonia, was infected with a newly discovered canine coronavirus. Take note, this incident happened way back in 2018 and it is only in recent months that they do confirm that this strain of canine coronavirus was, indeed, transmitted to the patient in Malaysia.Canine coronavirus (and feline coronavirus from cats) are not transmissible to humans. This means that in case your dog or cat gets a coronavirus, there is no chance that they will infect you. However, this new strain of the canine coronavirus which is still under research, may be the first. There is no data yet to confirm how contagious this is or if there are any other cases similar to the Malaysian patient.What we don’t know yetThere is one thing we know for sure, it may be an isolated case. There are a couple of samples that also tested positive for this strain, known as the CCoV-HuPn-2018. However, all of these samples live in Sarawak’s indigenous ethnic groups.So far, there are no other reports of similar incidents within that time period outside of the known locations. In fact, there is no released data yet to confirm how contagious this strain is. Facts on the symptoms, severity, and the like are unreleased. If scientists have found something out, nobody knows of it yet.The great thing is, scientists are now finding ways on how to prevent coronaviruses from evolving into strains that cause pandemics.Can I get coronavirus from my pet?The simple answer here, and it has been discussed before is no, and yes. No, we cannot get COVID-19 (a specific coronavirus variant) from our domesticated pets. However, there are some incidences where humans have transferred the disease to them. There are certain strains of coronavirus like the canine and feline strains that cannot be passed on to humans. There are some strains, however, like the COVID-19 and SARS-COV1 that could be transmitted to humans. So, there is no cause for worry.Also read: Gas Station Apps in the US that can Get You Through the Shortage