COVID virus found in Canadian deer

After the virus that causes COVID-19 showed up among white-tailed deer in the United States, scientists have detected it among wild deer in Canada. Tests of hunter-harvested deer have shown the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in deer in Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan and of past exposure in other deer in Quebec. “These findings underscore the importance of ongoing surveillance of key wildlife species for SARS-CoV-2,” the authors of a study in preprint on bioRxiv concluded. The virus was first confirmed by the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in three free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Quebec. Canadian officials say they plan to continue to look for indications of spillover of the virus between humans and wildlife.

Read more from the CBC.