recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) found evidence of COVID-19 exposure in white-tailed deer in four different states.
Of the 385 samples that were collected, 40% came back positive for COVID-19 antibodies, according to the study. "Antibodies are the result of an immune response to infection with a pathogen, and their presence does not necessarily suggest a current infection.
The tests used to analyze the deer serum samples in this study can only detect antibodies, not the virus itself," the USDA specified.
Samples were taken between Jan. 2020 and March 2021 from animals found in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, according to the USDA.