--- description: The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong has been found to have a “low level” of the virus, the Hong Kong government said. title: Coronavirus Patient’s Pet Dog Tests Positive for ‘Low Level’ of Virus image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34aaffc870394e1f/698a0ac4457a52824bd63980/coronavirus-dog.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [COVID-19](/tag/covid-19/) ## COVID-19 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Coronavirus Patient’s Pet Dog Tests Positive for ‘Low Level’ of Virus by [Dominic Lau / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Dominic Lau / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 28, 2020 2:49 AM CUT  A woman pushes a stroller with two dogs wearing masks along a street in Shanghai on Feb. 19, 2020. A woman pushes a stroller with two dogs wearing masks along a street in Shanghai on Feb. 19, 2020.Noel Celis–AFP/Getty Images by [Dominic Lau / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Dominic Lau / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 28, 2020 2:49 AM CUT The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong has been found to have a “low level” of the virus, the Hong Kong government said early Friday. The dog tested “weak positive” for the coronavirus, the city’s agricultural and fisheries department said in a [statement](https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202002/28/P2020022800013.htm "undefined"), without giving further details. Officials will carry out further tests to confirm whether the dog has really been infected with the disease, or if it was a result of environmental contamination of its mouth and nose. _Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking_ [_on this link_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/coronavirus?source=article "undefined")_, and please send any tips, leads, and stories to_ [_virus@time.com_](mailto:virus@time.com "undefined")_._ Much is still not known about the virus that is spreading around the world after emerging in central China late last year. It is thought to have transferred to humans from bats and has been shown [to spread](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-21/how-the-novel-coronavirus-can-maybe-infect-you-quicktake "undefined") in a number of ways, but the Hong Kong agricultural department said it doesn’t have evidence that pet animals can be infected, or be a source of infection to people. If confirmed, the dog would be the first case of a pet catching the coronavirus amid a global [outbreak](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-26/most-new-infections-now-outside-china-who-says-virus-update "undefined") that’s now infected more than 82,000 people and claimed more than 2,800 lives. The dog is being quarantined at an animal facility, the Hong Kong government said. The department strongly advised that pets of confirmed virus patients also be put under quarantine. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5792150/coronavirus-dog/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5792150/coronavirus-dog/"},"headline":"Coronavirus Patient’s Pet Dog Tests Positive for ‘Low Level’ of Virus","datePublished":"2020-02-28T02:49:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:19:36.781Z","description":"The dog tested “weak positive” for the coronavirus","url":"https://time.com/5792150/coronavirus-dog/","keywords":["COVID-19","animals","Hong Kong topic","Bloomberg","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34aaffc870394e1f/698a0ac4457a52824bd63980/coronavirus-dog.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dominic Lau / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34aaffc870394e1f/698a0ac4457a52824bd63980/coronavirus-dog.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS","caption":"CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS","creditText":"Noel Celis–AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/covid-19/","name":"COVID-19"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5792150/coronavirus-dog/","name":"Coronavirus Patient’s Pet Dog Tests Positive for ‘Low Level’ of Virus"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Virus Expert on the Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak: 'Don’t Be Complacent. 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