White-tailed deer could become the host of the Omicron variant after the discovery of the strain in the animal.
The discovery in New York has raised concerns that the species, numbering 30 million in the United States, could become hosts of a new coronavirus strain.
Researchers led by Pennsylvania State University scientists said the blood and some nasal swab samples from 131 deer captured on New York’s Staten Island revealed that nearly 15% had virus antibodies and the finding suggested that the animals had previous coronavirus infections and were vulnerable to repeated reinfections with new variants.
“Circulation of the virus in an animal population always raises the possibility of getting back to humans, but more importantly it provides more opportunities for the virus to evolve into novel variants,” said Suresh Kuchipudi, a Penn State veterinary microbiologist.
Kuchipudi added, “When the virus completely mutates, then it can escape the protection of the current vaccine. So we’d have to change the vaccine again.”
Even as there is no evidence that animals are transmitting the virus to humans, most coronavirus infections were reported in species that had close contact with a person with COVID-19.
