There is no reason to believe pets can be a major driver of COVID-19 transmission, medical experts have said.

Responding to a case of a dog in Hong Kong being infected by the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) sought to allay concerns that domesticated animals could be carriers of the virus.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead at WHO, said: "We're only aware of this one animal that's tested positive and he's doing well. So, in terms of what this means for transmission, we don't believe that this is a major driver of transmission.

"We don't have evidence of transmission from the human to the dog or the dog to the human. But, again, it's only one example of this. And so, of course, it deserves much more study."

Authorities in Hong Kong have put the dog in quarantine in what could be the first case of human-to-animal transmission.

The canine tested "weak positive" for the virus, which indicates a low level of infection, the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Wednesday.

"The department will continue to closely monitor the dog ... and repeat the test later. It will only be returned to its owner when the test result is negative," it added in a statement.

The WHO website mentioned there was no evidence so far to indicate that companion pets can be infected with the coronavirus.

Michael J Ryan, WHO executive director, said: "It's not unusual in emerging disease outbreaks to find that animals can be transient hosts or they can be involved. In SARS and MERS, we had similar issues.

"In this case, this dog is a victim more than others and we need to establish quite clearly what part animals might play in further transmission. But that is unknown."