Up to 80% of the white-tailed deer tested by a group of American researchers contracted the Covid-19. This was reported by the New York Times, citing a study conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 in several areas of Iowa by scientists at Penn State University. According to the research, wild animals likely contracted the virus from humans, which would then spread rapidly in the herd. According to the study, there is no evidence that white-tailed deer - the most widespread in the US - have so far infected humans themselves, but the results still appear worrying in light of the risk that, once adapted to the organism of a new animal, the virus can mutate, giving rise to variants.
For this reason, the American newspaper still reports, i Iowa hunters and other categories that may come into contact with deer have been urged by the authorities to exercise caution. The presence of anti-Covid-19 antibodies had already been detected in white-tailed deer from another study released in recent months by the Canadian University of Saskatchewan.