Copenhagen, Jun 21 (IANS): A dog in Denmark was found contracting COVID-19 as the authorities detected COVID-19 in two North Jutland mink herds in one week, said the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food in a press release.

The dog belongs to the owner of a North Jutland farm where COVID-19 has recently been found in two minks among samples from 46 minks there, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The farm owner and the dog must avoid close contact with other animals and people outside the household and pay attention to good hygiene," said Mogens Jensen, Minister for Food, Fisheries and Equal Opportunities, in the press release on Saturday.

Earlier on Thursday, a herd of 11,000 minks in a farm in North Jutland, the west of Denmark, was culled as a precautionary measure after some were identified as infected with COVID-19.

Currently, no animals and only a few people are being allowed to enter or exit at the two farms.

According to the minister, the discovery of COVID-19 in Danish mink has created a need for a greater overview of the occurrence of the novel coronavirus in mink.

The Danish government will start to test 120 selected farms throughout the country to see if the infection among mink herds is a widespread problem.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 12,391 in Denmark while 600 deaths remain unchanged since Friday, the daily update from the Statens Serum Institute showed on Saturday.