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APHIS: Deer, humans have exchanged virus that causes COVID

A doe and a young fawn take a summer stroll in central Illinois. Research by USDA reveals that deer and humans have passed the virus that leads to COVID back and forth. (Photo provided)

Scientists say the virus that causes COVID was transmitted from humans to deer, before mutating and potentially being transmitted from deer back to humans. 
The research is a serious undertaking by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which teamed with Ohio State University and the University of Missouri. Researchers monitored wild deer between November 2021 and April 2022, collecting more than 9,000 respiratory samples from 27 different states, including Illinois. When announcing the findings, USDA noted that it is important to understand that virus spread caused by wild animals “is extremely rare.”

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