THE United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories last August. 28 confirmed that a wild white deer has tested positive for COVID-19 in Ohio, the first ever deer that contracted the disease.
According to the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, they collected the samples from the deer between January and March 2021.
Samples from the deer has showed the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories.
Officials have urged the federal Department of Agriculture to report its animal infection in the country to the World Organization for Animal Health.
SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals are not new and there have been reports that certain animals like tiger, lion, and dog have also tested for COVID-19 but cases of animal infection have remained low.
On the other hand, there were also COVID-19 cases in animals reported to have had close contact with people who tested for COVID-19.
Officials are still learning the infection of COVID-19 in animals, but the risk of infecting and spreading the virus from animals to humans remain low.