Hong Kong health officials today confirmed a Phoc Soc pet dog of nCoV patients infected with the virus.

The dog belonged to a 60-year-old female patient who repeatedly gave "weak positive" results to nCoV since February 28, when it began to be isolated at an animal center. The city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Agency (AFCD) said tests showed the dog had a "low level of infection".

AFCD said experts from the University and the World Veterinary Organization agreed that "this could be a case of human-to-animal transmission". The dog currently has no symptoms. Officials said they will continue to monitor it closely and return it to the owner when it is negative for nCoV.

The AFCD spokesman stressed that there was no evidence that pets could be hosts that spread nCoV or they could get sick. He added that in addition to maintaining good hygiene habits, pet owners need not be too concerned and absolutely should not throw them away.

Covid-19 appeared in 82 countries and territories, with more than 94,000 people infected, more than 3,200 deaths and more than 51,000 people recovered. The latest recorded territory is the Danish Faroe Islands. Hong Kong detected 103 cases, two died and 37 recovered.