A pet Pomeranian dog has tested positive for the coronavirus after its owner became infected with the killer disease in Hong Kong.

'Nasal and oral cavity samples were tested weak positive to COVID-19 virus [sic],' an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said, without explaining why they tested the animal in the first place.

The dog was collected from the owner's home on Wednesday, after the woman was diagnosed with the contagion and placed in a hospital isolation ward.

The canine has no 'relevant symptoms', the AFCD said.

Local media said the owner of the dog is a businesswoman named Yvonne Chow Hau Yee. AFP separately reported the dog's owner is 60 years old.

Hongkonger Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, pictured in an undated photo, is believed to be the owner of the dog that has contracted the virus

A man takes photos of dogs wearing masks in a stroller in Shanghai last week. While there is no evidence domestic animals such as dogs and cats can catch the virus or transmit it to humans, Hong Kong officials have ordered pets of infected people to be quarantined for 14 days

A file photo from Wednesday shows Hongkongers cutting meat and wearing protective masks at the wet market

The pooch is the only dog at the quarantine facility, which is based in near Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, according to dimsumdaily.

The dog will be kept at the centre for 14 days. Repeated tests will be done until the dog is cleared of the virus.

'It would be closely monitored and undergo further tests to confirm if it really has the virus or if 'this is a result of environmental contamination of the dog's mouth and nose,' the AFCD said.

In a statement the agency said: 'The AFCD does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people.'

While there is no evidence domestic animals such as dogs and cats can catch the virus or transmit it to humans, the department said pets of infected people should be quarantined for 14 days.

The spokesman said all pet owners should maintain a good habit of hygiene and wash their hands after having contact with their pets.

They added that pet owners should wear masks when going out and if their pets experience a change in health then they should go to the vets.

It is believed to be the first case of a pet having the virus and comes as cases worldwide continue to be identified.

Dr. Niels Pedersen, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and a expert on infectious and immunologic diseases in dogs and cats, wrote in a post on the UC Davis website: 'You won’t get or give the coronavirus to your family pet.'

'They [coronaviruses] tend to be very species specific and cross-species transmission is uncommon,' he added.

'The Wuhan coronavirus appears to have successfully adapted to humans (i.e., it has become humanized) and is therefore looming as an even more severe disease problem than MERS and SARS [...]

'There is no evidence that coronaviruses of our common veterinary species have entered humans in the recent past or vice versa.

'However, the tendency for coronaviruses to jump species is an ongoing occurrence and it is possible that a coronavirus from a common pet species such as a cat or dog may enter humans and cause disease sometime in the future.

'If it should ever humanize, it will no longer be a cat or dog virus, but rather a new human virus.'

People with surgical face masks cross the street in Central, following the coronavirus threat. The new coronavirus is still spreading worldwide, the World Health Organisation has warned

Owner Hau Yee was said to have developed symptoms on the 20th and was diagnosed with the coronavirus five days later. Local media reported that she went out to drink tea and attended a wedding while infected.

The financial hub has confirmed 93 cases of the new coronavirus, with two deaths earlier this month.

The epidemic, which emerged in central China in December, has infected more than 83,000 people globally.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS? The signs of COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus, are often mild and are very similar to a cold, flu or chest infection. Typical symptoms of infection include a fever, a cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. These are common complaints at this time of year, so where someone has travelled or who they have come into contact with are important in determining whether they might have coronavirus. The NHS considers people to be at risk if they have the symptoms above and have recently travelled to mainland China, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, or the north of Italy (north of Pisa and Florence). People who have, in the past two weeks, been to the Hubei province of China, Iran, the South Korean cities of Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea, or one of 11 quarantined towns in northern Italy are considered to be at risk even if they feel well. The 11 towns in Italy are Codogno, Castiglione d'Adda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo, San Fiorano and Vo' Euganeo. Those who have come into contact with others who have visited those places and then feel ill may also be at risk. People who fit any of the categories above should stay at home and self-isolate, away from other people, and phone NHS 111 for more advice. If you think you have the coronavirus do not go to a doctor's surgery or hospital. The virus can spread through coughing, sneezing, or by being close to someone for prolonged periods of time. To protect themselves, people should cough and sneeze into a tissue and throw it away, wash their hands and avoid contact with sick people. Source: NHS Advertisement

Today the director of the World Health Organisation said countries must act aggressively to contain the virus.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreaks in Iran and Italy in recent days showed the full extent as to what the 'virus was capable of'.

The global health chief warned that it would be a 'fatal mistake, quite literally' for other nations to assume they will not be affected by the outbreak.

Pointing to a decline in new cases in China, Tedros said: 'It's what's happening in the rest of the world that's now our greatest concern'.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Tedros said the epidemic was at a 'decisive point'.

'If you act aggressively now, you can contain this virus, you can prevent people getting sick, you can save lives,' he said.

'There does not appear to be widespread community transmission,' he added.

'This virus has pandemic potential,' the WHO director-general said. 'This is not a time for fear. This is a time for taking action to prevent infection and save lives now.'

Tedros emphasised that all countries should ensure that their health systems were prepared for an outbreak.

His comments about the virus have created panic in the UK.

Britons have already started panic buying water and canned food, with some even setting up 'isolation' rooms at home in case the virus shuts down their communities.

Among the essentials that worried families have been stockpiling include nappies, toilet roll, soup, tinned fruit, pet food, medicine, and wine.

Families are building up reserves to ensure their homes are 'fit for a pandemic' with some purchasing new chest freezers to fill with food and portable camp toilets to avoid sharing a loo if a relative tests positive for the killer virus.

A shortage of germ-killing antibacterial gel has seen a spurt in sales of surgical spirit on eBay and Amazon by people desperate to sanatise their hands, with Boots sold out today.

On social media one panicked Briton revealed that they have turned one small room in their house into an 'isolation zone' equipped with cooking equipment, bedding and food if they have to be in quarantine for a fortnight.

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks today in Geneva where he warned that cases outside China are now 'our greatest concern'

Another Mumsnet user said: 'I've cleaned and prepped the farm caravan so if needed it could be an isolation suite. Useful place to store surplus supplies, tinned food etc as well'.

Others are drawing up spreadsheets of the items they need to buy to last them weeks or months in self-isolation.

Professor Ratula Chakraborty, professor of business management at the University of East Anglia (UEA), said: 'The prospect of whole towns being in lockdown and shops closed is heightening the fear and stockpiling may become rife'.

They added: 'Reading about the Italian villages that have been put on lockdown and families can't leave their homes has got me thinking...Italy isn't a million miles away. It's not a third world country. If it's happened there...'

Almost 200 people responded to the message, with most saying they are also stockpiling tinned goods, toilet rolls and other supplies.