World News for Students of English

18-01-2021 15:00

Several gorillas at the zoo safari park in San Diego, California, US, tested positive for the coronavirus in what was believed to be the first known case among such primates in the US and possibly in the world.

According to the park’s director, Lisa Peterson, the infection appeared to come from a team member who had tested positive for the virus; however, he was asymptomatic and he wore a mask at all times around the gorillas. Aside from some congestion and coughing, the gorillas were doing well. They were given vitamins, fluid and food; however, they were no given any specific treatment for the virus.

The safari park added more safety measures for its staff, including requiring face shields and eye goggles when working in contact with the animals. Wildlife experts expressed concern about the coronavirus infecting gorillas, an endangered species that share 98.4% of their DNA with humans, and they are inherently social animals.

Difficult words: asymptomatic (a person that shows no symptoms of a disease), congestion (excessive accumulation of fluid in the body that causes some body parts to swell), inherently (naturally).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.