COVID-19 spreads through gorillas at zoo

Atlanta's zoo says at least 18 western lowland gorillas have tested positive for COVID-19, including 60-year-old Ozzie, the oldest male gorilla in captivity.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirms that four of the samples from the gorillas so far tested positive for the Delta variant. The zoo says it is treating the gorillas at risk of developing complications from SARS-CoV-2 with monoclonal antibodies and it's also testing all 20 of its gorillas.

The zoo says there's no evidence that the gorillas can pass the virus back to humans and says visitors are too far away to be infected by gorillas. Senior Director of Animal Health at Zoo Atlanta Sam Rivera said the zoo will vaccinate the gorillas with a veterinary vaccine.