With hunting season underway, wildlife agencies in New Hampshire and Vermont have started testing for COVID-19 in white-tailed deer, as antibodies for the virus have been found in deer in other states.
New Hampshire and Vermont were approached by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service about testing the white-tailed deer population as part of its national research on the spread of COVID-19 among the species.
Maine is not actively testing deer for COVID-19. In its study, released in July, the inspection service tested 481 deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania and found COVID-19 antibodies in 33% of the samples.
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