Omicron Version of COVID-19 Found in New York City Deer
2022-02-13
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1American researchers say they tested a group of deer in New York City and found that some of them were infected with the Omicron version of COVID-19.
2The highly infectious version, or variant, was identified in the white-tailed deer population on the city's Staten Island.
3The Omicron variant was found in seven of the 68 deer tested between December 13 and January 31.
4The results are reported in a study carried out by researchers at Penn State University in Pennsylvania.
5The study was financed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
6Earlier COVID-19 variants were also found in white-tailed deer in New York and several other U.S. states.
7But the Staten Island study is the first to find evidence of the Omicron variant in deer or any other animal population, said Suresh Kuchipudi.
8He is a professor of virology at Penn State who led the research team.
9Kuchipudi told The Associated Press the finding "opened up the possibility that, like the previous variants, Omicron can and has spilled over into animals."
10He added that for this reason, the presence of COVID-19 in animal populations needs to be closely watched.
11Kuchipudi added that the spillover of Omicron from humans to deer suggests the possibly that vaccine-resistant versions of the virus could mutate and spread in non-humans.
12"When the virus completely mutates, then it can escape the protection of the current vaccine," Kuchipudi said.
13"So, we'd have to change the vaccine again."
14The researchers also reported that nearly 15 percent of the 131 deer captured on Staten Island had COVID-19 antibodies.
15This finding suggests that the animals had past coronavirus infections, and they were reinfected with new variants.
16In August, the USDA said it found the world's first cases of COVID-19 in wild deer in Ohio.
17This expanded the list of animals known to have been infected with the sickness.
18The information was based on findings collected months before Omicron became the most dominant variant found in human populations around the world.
19So far, the USDA has reported COVID-19 in animals including dogs, cats, tigers, lions, snow leopards, otters, gorillas and minks.
20I'm Bryan Lynn.
1American researchers say they tested a group of deer in New York City and found that some of them were infected with the Omicron version of COVID-19. 2The highly infectious version, or variant, was identified in the white-tailed deer population on the city's Staten Island. The Omicron variant was found in seven of the 68 deer tested between December 13 and January 31. 3The results are reported in a study carried out by researchers at Penn State University in Pennsylvania. The study was financed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 4Earlier COVID-19 variants were also found in white-tailed deer in New York and several other U.S. states. But the Staten Island study is the first to find evidence of the Omicron variant in deer or any other animal population, said Suresh Kuchipudi. He is a professor of virology at Penn State who led the research team. 5Kuchipudi told The Associated Press the finding "opened up the possibility that, like the previous variants, Omicron can and has spilled over into animals." He added that for this reason, the presence of COVID-19 in animal populations needs to be closely watched. 6Kuchipudi added that the spillover of Omicron from humans to deer suggests the possibly that vaccine-resistant versions of the virus could mutate and spread in non-humans. 7"When the virus completely mutates, then it can escape the protection of the current vaccine," Kuchipudi said. "So, we'd have to change the vaccine again." 8The researchers also reported that nearly 15 percent of the 131 deer captured on Staten Island had COVID-19 antibodies. This finding suggests that the animals had past coronavirus infections, and they were reinfected with new variants. 9In August, the USDA said it found the world's first cases of COVID-19 in wild deer in Ohio. This expanded the list of animals known to have been infected with the sickness. The information was based on findings collected months before Omicron became the most dominant variant found in human populations around the world. 10So far, the USDA has reported COVID-19 in animals including dogs, cats, tigers, lions, snow leopards, otters, gorillas and minks. 11I'm Bryan Lynn. 12The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 13We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 14____________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16virology - n. a part of science that deals with viruses and viral diseases 17mutate - v. to cause (a gene) to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal : to cause mutation in (a gene) 18dominant - adj. the main or most important part of something