(WSAU-WXPR) – The USDA has found evidence that some wild white-tailed deer populations have been exposed to COVID-19.
Researchers have been testing blood samples from deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania dating back to January 2020. Of the 481 total samples, 33% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Dr. Thomas DeLiberto is the assistant director of the National Wildlife Research Center for the USDA. He says the results have created a lot of questions. “Is the virus currently circulating in white-tailed deer? How were white-tailed deer exposed? They could have been exposed in any of the number of ways and we’ll need to follow up on this survey to try and determine which are the ways, possible routes of transmission for the virus to enter the deer population.”
DeLiberto stressed that just because roughly a third of the samples that came back had COVID antibodies, it does NOT mean a third of deer populations in the US have been exposed to the virus.
He says the study was too limited to make wide inferences like that. What researchers do know, is that you’re unlikely to get COVID from a deer. “The risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2 to people is considered low. Currently it is not known if it’s even circulating in white tail deer. What we do know is that there’s also no evidence that you can get COVID-19 by eating food, including wild hunted game meat.”
The study’s goal was not looking at the health of the deer population. From what’s been observed in the wild and in controlled settings, deer exposed to COVID have not shown signs of illness.
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