9 Great Apes Get COVID Vaccine

The San Diego Zoo has vaccinated nine great apes for the coronavirus after a troop of gorillas in its Safari Park became infected, the AP reports. Officials say four orangutans and five bonobos received COVID-19 injections in January and February, making them the first non-humans to get vaccinated against the disease. Three bonobos and a gorilla also are expected to receive the vaccine, which CBS News reports is an experimental one made for animals. The vaccinations followed a January outbreak of COVID-19 at the zoo’s Safari Park. Eight western lowland gorillas got the virus, probably by exposure to a zookeeper who tested positive for COVID-19. The gorillas had symptoms ranging from runny noses to coughing and lethargy. But they are recovering. (More San Diego Zoo stories.)