Canada has confirmed its first case of coronavirus in a wild animal – in three white-tailed deer.
Ottawa, Canada:
Canada has confirmed its first case of coronavirus in a wild animal – in three white-tailed deer.
The National Center for Foreign Animal Diseases said samples were collected in early November from animals that were free in the Estrie region of Quebec along the border with the United States.
“Similar to the findings in the United States, the deer showed no evidence of clinical signs of disease and were all healthy,” the agency said in a statement late Wednesday.
The World Organization for Animal Health was notified on December 1, it added.
Very little is known about animals and Covid-19.
Authorities called for masks to be worn around wild deer, while they “continue to monitor and assess the potential effects of the virus on Canada’s wildlife.”
This virus has previously infected many animal species globally, including domestic ferrets, companion animals such as dogs and cats, and zoo animals.
The United States recently reported evidence of the spread of Covid from humans to wild white-tailed deer, with subsequent spread of the virus among deer species.
But there is no known transmission from deer to humans.
The first case of Covid-19 was discovered at an animal market in Wuhan, China, where wild animals and pets were sold. It is believed to have originated from an animal species.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
