Deer, dogs and coronavirus

Elon Musk's hunger tweets; why low-income countries lack vaccines [View this email online]( [NPR]( Goats and Soda editor's note Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images I live in a neighborhood where white-tailed deer roam. They live mainly in nearby Rock Creek Park, a couple of miles away, but I see them every so often on a neighbor's front lawn, munching peonies and seemingly not at all nervous that I'm just a few feet away. Now it turns out those deer might have more in common with humans than a taste for flowers. [They can become infected with SARS-CoV-2.]( This week, correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff reports on a study showing that humans are likely infecting white-tailed deer across the country. Doucleff tells us: "It is quite uncommon for a virus to find a new reservoir in a wild animal. So if white-tailed deer turn out to be one for SARS-CoV-2, that would be really unlucky." Deer could possibly transmit the virus back to humans, and the virus could also evolve within the deer, creating new strains. "I think the big mystery right now – and what everyone is emailing me and asking – is how the deer get it?" says Doucleff. "If SARS-CoV-2 is spread through the air, how do deer get close enough to people to catch it? No one knows. There could be an intermediate host. Or they could be getting it from food that people discard at parks or around their homes. The deer may be so sensitive to the virus that they can pick it up on surfaces way more easily than people can." [Read the story about this latest ... unusual ... development in the ongoing saga of the pandemic.]( Marc Silver Editor, Goats and Soda --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- in the news Twitter/Screenshot by NPR [How $6 billion from Elon Musk could feed millions on the brink of famine]( The superrich entrepreneur reportedly made $36 billion in a single day from a Tesla deal. The World Food Programme had an idea -- give a sixth of it to help fight global famine. A Twitter debate ensued. We asked food aid specialists to tell us what $6 billion could buy. [Why low income countries are so short on COVID vaccines. Hint: It's not boosters.]( Wealthy countries keep buying way more doses than they need. New data shows just how much the stockpile of unused vaccines is growing. [New coronavirus, likely from dogs, infects people in Malaysia and Haiti]( It could turn out to be the eighth coronavirus known to spread to humans. Some scientists think doctors and researchers should start actively looking for this virus in patients. coronavirus faq Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Image [Coronavirus FAQ: It's cold and flu season — and COVID season! How do I stay unsick?]( Last winter the number of flu cases was pretty low — likely a result of COVID precautions people were taking. Does that mean we have fewer antibodies — and a greater risk of catching something now? climate summit Khadija Farah for NPR [This Kenyan family got solar power. High-level climate talks determine who else will]( Last month, the Muisyo family turned on the lights for the first time thanks to climate financing from rich countries. But the fund is falling short of its $100 billion goal to help poor countries. [They're the invisible victims of climate change]( At summits like COP26, attention is paid to those who find their livelihood — and health — at risk and who might become climate change refugees. But who will speak up for the stateless? education NPR [These 4 college freshmen from India have a remarkable story to tell]( They came from families that have faced seemingly insurmountable hardships and were admitted by top U.S. colleges. A school in India gave them their chance. links we like - Voice of America profiles a surfer who wants to be the first [Senegalese surfboard shaper.]( - In photos, NPR Shots tells the story of [Filipino American health-care workers]( who are working on the frontlines of COVID. - Rest of World reports on South African students who are [selling their school’s Wi-Fi passwords]( for lunch money. - From The New York Times: Follow the journey of a [12-foot-tall puppet -- the star of a theatrical piece about a 9-year-old Syrian girl's trek from Turkey to Britain]( to find her mother. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [goatsandsoda@npr.org](mailto:goatsandsoda@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? 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