China News Service, March 2 (Xinhua) According to comprehensive foreign media reports, Canadian researchers recently discovered a highly mutated variant of the new crown in deer in Ontario, and also tested it in a person who had close contact with deer in the area. A very similar virus sequence was found, which may be the first case of the new coronavirus being transmitted to humans through deer.
Canadian researchers suspect the first case of deer transmitting the new coronavirus to humans.
Data map: Screenshot of the CBS report.
Canadian scientists have previously collected samples from hundreds of white-tailed deer hunted in southwestern Ontario, according to reports.
After testing them for Covid-19, researchers found that 17 of the 298 deer tested positive for Covid-19.
After researchers compared the new coronavirus found in the deer with the virus from the residents of the area, they found that the two were very similar, and the resident had been exposed to the deer.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said there is currently no evidence that the new coronavirus variant found in deer is circulating in the human population, and it may be an "isolated case," according to the report.
Canadian researchers believe wildlife should be more widely monitored and everyone working with wildlife should take precautions to prevent the potential spread of the virus.