The Covid-19 pandemic after infecting millions of people across the globe has now reached Iowa’s white-tailed deer.
As per a new development, the doctors and experts in the United States have discovered the coronavirus in these animals. And as per the healthcare experts, there are 30 million of these animals, and they usually come in contact with humans.
According to a report in New York Times, after sifting through frozen samples of the deer killed by hunters or cars in 2020, they found 60 per cent of them infected with the coronavirus.
This has become a major reason for health experts across the world. As per science, adaptation in animals is one route via which the new variants are likely to emerge. Now, this remains a top concern for the United States.
The US reported its first case of Covid-19 in a deer back in August 2021. The fresh discovery has once again reignited the debate over the growing number of Covid-19 cases among these white-tailed animals.
Covid-19 among animals?
Earlier, minks had garnered much attention for the same reasons. Scientists fear for the spread of the infection from animals to humans; more studies will be needed to arrive at any conclusion.
However, in the latest case of Iowa, researchers believe those eating the cooked deer meat are at a lesser risk of contracting the Sars-CoV-2 virus, than those who come in contact with their faeces and droppings.
Besides, the virus can also get transmitted in lions which kill deer by biting into their trachea or over their nose and mouth.
CDC says the risk of animals spreading Sars-CoV-2 to people is low. While some coronaviruses that infect animals can be spread to people and then spread between people.
According to the Union health ministry in India, there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit Covid-19.
ALSO READ | Vaccine Against Omicron Variant On The Way?
