TOPICS:COVID-19Infectious DiseasesPenn State UniversityPublic HealthVirology

ByPENN STATE UNIVERSITYMARCH 6, 2022

Some white-tailed deer living in Staten Island, New York, are actively infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. The team said the finding is concerning because Staten Island represents a situation where a highly dense human population lives in close proximity to a large population of deer.

Detection of antibodies in one infected deer also suggests deer may become reinfected withSARS-CoV-2.

Some white-tailed deer living in Staten Island, New York, are actively infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. The team also found neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in one of the Omicron-infected deer, suggesting that, like humans, deer can be reinfected with the virus.

“The deer population on Staten Island is so large…