Dr. Scott Weese, chief of infection control at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), made headlines this week, speaking to the The New York Times and CBC Science examining concerns about COVID-19 in white-tailed deer.  

Speaking to CBC, Weese, director of the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, said COVID-19 and its association with animals is not just about the origin of the virus but about taking a holistic approach, recognizing that humans and species are interlinked, a hallmark of Global 1 Health Network, of which Weese is a member. 

“We don’t have people and everything else. We’re all in this big ecosystem.”

Weese downplayed the concern of deer-to-human infection in the Times piece saying, “even if deer were infecting people, it’s largely inconsequential in the grand scheme, because millions of people are getting infected from human-to-human transmission.” 

Weese previously made national headlines on the topic, addressing concerns about the virus spreading and evolving new variants within wildlife.  

A veterinary internal medicine specialist, Weese researches emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and the spread between humans and animals.