Because a high number show antibodies of Covid exposure. But are asymptomatic! (Or be euthanized perhaps) What's next with the Covid Cabal? Remember they euthanized millions of mink in Denmark.
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Michigan's white-tailed deer exposed to COVID-19: What it means
KYLE DAVIDSON | DETROIT FREE PRESS | 2:40 pm EDT August 10, 2021
As researchers continue to observe the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on humans, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is studying its effect on wildlife.
A recent study from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discovered that white-tailed deer populations in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
White-tailed deer are found in every county in Michigan, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
A white-tailed deer peeks through the trees at the Kensington Metropark.
KELLY JORDAN, DETROIT FREE PRESS
Researchers discovered antibodies for the virus in 33% of the 481 blood samples they collected from January 2020 through March 2021.
Of the 33% of samples with antibodies present, only three were collected in 2020. All the others were collected in 2021, said Thomas DeLiberto, assistant director at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center and a contributing author of the study.
When compared with 143 samples collected before January 2020, only one sample showed signs of exposure. Researchers determined this sample was a false positive, DeLiberto said.
Researchers do not currently know how the deer were exposed, but it's possible they were exposed through humans, the environment, other deer or another species entirely, according to a USDA summary of the study's findings.
There are about 30 million white-tailed deer across the United States which often come into close contact with people, according to the USDA. While this sounds concerning, DeLiberto said the risk of transmission from animals to people is very low.
"This is a human-adapted pathogen. In its current form, it likes to be in people and the greatest risk to people is transmission from other infected people," he said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hunters concerned with eating meat from infected deer have no need to fear. According to the USDA, there is no evidence people can get COVID-19 by eating or preparing meat from infected animals.
Samples were collected from deer in 32 counties across the four states. Samples for the study were obtained opportunistically as part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's wildlife damage management activities, according to the USDA.
***Of the 113 samples collected in Michigan, 76 showed signs of exposure. All 113 of these samples were collected between January and March of 2021, DeLiberto said.
