Why is it so tricky to identify which species are at risk for COVID-19?

The New York Times spoke to veterinary infectious disease specialist Dr. Scott Weese, who explained that identifying species at risk is a formidable scientific problem. Not only is there a wide array of potentially vulnerable species, he said, but the virus keeps changing into new variants.

“That’s the problem with emerging diseases,” said Weese. “You have to keep resetting your knowledge every time something changes.”

A professor in the Department of Pathobiology, Weese researches emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and its spread between humans and animals.