“It’s completely mad. It looks like it’s everywhere.”
Infectious disease expert Vivek Kapur, Penn State, on white-tailed deer being infected with coronavirus. New research shows deer are infected with the Omicron variant.
Published on
feb 8, 2022
covid19pandemic
- Earlier in the pandemic, researchers led by Kapur discovered deer as carriers of SARS-Cov-2.
- The latest information has heightened concern: "If deer were to become established as a North American wildlife reservoir, and we do think they’re at risk of that, there are real concerns for the health of other wildlife species, livestock, pets and even people," says CDC's Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh.
- Why This Matters: "If white-tailed deer become a reservoir for the virus, the pathogen could mutate and spread to other animals or back to us. Adaptation in animals is one route by which new variants are likely to emerge."
Here's our background reporting at SmartHER News
Here's the latest from The New York Times
New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds (The New York Times)
