Minks test positive for COVID in B.C.

Test results from five mink samples taken from a farm in British Columbia's Fraser Valley have come back positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.

The provincial Ministry of Agriculture says the samples were gathered after several workers on the farm tested positive for the illness.

B.C.'s chief veterinarian has placed the farm under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and materials from the property.

The ministry says a plan is in place to feed and care for the mink during the outbreak, which was declared on Monday when workers tested positive.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that was concerning because transmissions between humans and mink have occurred in other countries and there's a potential for mutations of the virus.

The farm was inspected by the chief veterinarian and ministry staff as part of a routine inspection process in September and it was found to comply with all animal welfare and biosecurity standards.

The ministry says samples were submitted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg and the World Organisation for Animal Health has been notified.