WHY THE DETECTION OF SARS-CoV-2 IN CANADIAN WILDLIFE MATTERS

She is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph and Regional Director for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Ontario and Nunavut Joe Copper Jack is a Yukon First Nation Elder, Indigenous Knowledge Holder and Land Relationship Planner *This collaboration is between the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Env. [...] The potential for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to other species became evident early in the pandemic both from experimental infections and reports of SARS-CoV-2 infections in zoo animals and pets. [...] How will the epidemiology and disease differ if/when Omicron spills over into deer? The full implications of cryptic transmission in the wild remain unknown, but we cannot disregard the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 will adapt in deer, spillback into humans, and possibly impact control measures. [...] What next? 2 One Health recognizes that human health is connected to the health of other animals and the environment and stresses the need for a collaborative approach. [...] Now is the time to rapidly implement the Pan-Canadian Approach to Wildlife Health, a program to mitigate threats to wildlife, land, and public health by coordinating key activities in preparedness, risk management, and health protection.