America Records First COVID-19 Cases in Deer Worldwide

The U.S. government announced yesterday, Friday, that it has recorded the world's first COVID-19 cases in deer, adding the deer to the list of animals that have tested positive for the disease. According to a statement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recorded infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, in white-tailed deer in Ohio. Lindsay Cole, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, stated in an email to Reuters, "We do not know how the deer were exposed to SARS-CoV-2... They may have been exposed through humans, the environment, other deer, or other animals." Previously, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had reported COVID-19 infections in animals including dogs, cats, tigers, lions, snow leopards, otters, gorillas, and minks.