Nature has an article showing a massive number of white tailed deer are infected with COVID in the US, They note:
One-third of white-tailed deer in the north-eastern United States have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 — a sign that they have been infected with the virus. The findings, revealed by an analysis of samples collected after the pandemic began, represent the first detection of widespread exposure to the virus in a population of wild animals, says Arinjay Banerjee, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. The results are reported in a preprint posted on bioRxiv on 29 July1. They have not yet been peer reviewed. ... The real mystery, says Banerjee, is how the deer were exposed. It could have been through contact with people, other animals or even contaminated wastewater. “If there is a common source of exposure for the deer, then likely the same source can expose other animals.” The results stress the importance of surveying deer, as well as their predators and other animals that have close contact with deer, for SARS-CoV-2, the researchers say.
A key question is what is the mutation rate and will it mutate to maximize in deer not humans. Again, how did it get there in the first place!
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