18 of 20 gorillas at Atlanta’s zoo have contracted COVID

By RON HARRIS
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Officials on Tuesday said at least 18 of the 20 gorillas at Atlanta’s zoo have now tested positive for COVID-19. Zoo Atlanta had announced the first positive tests among the gorillas on Friday after employees noticed the gorillas had been coughing, had runny noses and showed changes in appetite. The zoo says it is using monoclonal antibodies to treat the gorillas at risk of developing complications from the virus. Officials say there’s no evidence that the gorillas can pass the virus back to humans and visitors are too far away to be infected by gorillas. The outbreak occurred just days before the zoo had hoped to obtain a veterinary vaccine for the primates.