March 29, 2023 UPDATE:

This document is intended to provide a general update on the status of SARS CoV-2 for great apes managed under human care.

Great ape TAG SARS CoV Updated Statement March 2023 (PDF)

COVID-19 Vaccination Statement

March 26, 2021 UPDATE:

This document is intended to provide a general overview of SARS CoV-2 vaccination considerations for apes under human care. It is not intended to be utilized as a recommendation for or against vaccination for SARS CoV-2 in non-human apes. 

April 7, 2020 UPDATE:
Is there any guidance available for Great Apes? 

If you have Great Apes in your care we recommend reviewing the  Corona virus disease (COVID-19): considerations for Great Apes in human care document which includes additional background, risk assessments, potential actions, and resources. This document was prepared by Dr. Hayley Murphy, Deputy Director of Zoo Atlanta and Director of the Great Ape Heart Project and reviewed by great ape veterinary advisors.

It is important to remember that there have been no studies looking at the transmission potential or pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 between humans and great apes. Despite this, it is the feeling of the great ape veterinary advisors that the emergence of this novel corona virus may pose a significant health risk to great apes in human care.