Monkeys robbed a caregiver near New Delhi and grabbed samples of serological tests for Covid-19, raising fears that primates, who frequently plunder, would help spread the new coronavirus.
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The monkeys grabbed three samples this week in Meerut, near New Delhi, before running away and climbing on nearby trees. One of them chewed his booty. The samples, which were later discovered, were not damaged, medical school director Meerut Dheeraj Raj told AFP on Friday after pictures of the theft went viral on social media.
" They were still intact and we do not believe there is a risk of contamination or spread, " said Meerut Dheeraj Raj. The three people whose blood samples were stolen by the monkeys were retested. The new coronavirus has been detected in animals, although the risk of transmission from animals to humans has not been confirmed.
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Indian authorities are constantly faced with the problem of robber monkeys, who steal food or even cell phones. In many rural areas, farmers, whose crops are looted by gangs of monkeys, have requested the intervention of local authorities to control their population. New Delhi municipal authorities have used long-tailed langur monkeys to confront and repel other, smaller monkeys near the Indian Parliament.
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In India 175 new deaths due to Codiv-19 were recorded in 24 hours, bringing Friday the death toll to a total of 4,706, according to official figures. India, a country very vulnerable to the spread of the new coronavirus with its overcrowded mega-cities and its failing health system, has recorded record numbers of new cases in the past few days.