Monkeys steal coronavirus samples after attacking lab technician in India
- The monkeys took three samples Meerut Medical College in Uttar Pradesh today
- Police say there is a risk of the infection spreading as the monkeys move around
- The college is attempting to trace the samples and prevent more contamination
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A troop of monkeys broke into a medical college in India and stole coronavirus test samples after attacking a lab technician today.
The monkeys took three test samples from Meerut Medical College in Uttar Pradesh this morning.
A technician was carrying the samples before one of the monkeys snatched them from him and was filmed sitting in a tree chewing on them.
Those in the area fear the virus will spread as the monkeys carry the samples around residential areas.
A troop of monkeys broke into Meerut Medical College in Uttar Pradesh, India, and stole coronavirus test samples after attacking a lab technician this morning
Amir Haque, Lucknow Bureau Chief, said the monkeys had been reported causing a nuisance around the college before but this was something new.
The police chief said there was a risk of the monkeys spreading the infection and the college is currently attempting to trace the samples.
He said: ‘While animals cannot be responsible for carrying this disease, if they are carrying these sample tests and they move away from the medical college to residential areas then definitely if there are contaminated kits there, then they (the monkeys) can spread the infection further.
‘Therefore it’s a very serious alarm for health authorities as well as the local administration involved,’ he told The Times of India.
A technician was carrying the samples before one of the monkeys snatched them from him and was filmed sitting in a tree chewing on them
India recorded 4,797 coronavirus deaths yesterday as the country’s number of infections increased to 167,442, following exponential growth through May.
There are fears that the country is becoming a new epicentre for the disease in Asia, following a surprisingly low infection rate earlier on in the pandemic.
India made up nearly a quarter of Asia’s new infections last Friday, with the continent as a whole accounting for 23 per cent of the world’s daily tally – up from a figure as low as eight per cent in March and April.