can-bats-in-us-get-covid19-and-spread-it-to-people.md

date	excerpt	layout	redirect_from	sources	title
January 14, 2021	COVID-19 and animals	post	/animals/can-bats-in-us-get-covid19-and-spread-it-to-people/	agency url cdc https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#anchor_1584390773118	Can bats in the United States get the virus that causes COVID-19, and can they spread it back to people?

Other coronaviruses have been found in North American bats in the past, but there is currently no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 is present in any free-living wildlife in the United States, including bats. In general, coronaviruses do not cause illness or death in bats, but we don’t yet know if this new coronavirus would make North American species of bats sick. Bats are an important part of natural ecosystems, and their populations are already declining in the United States. Bat populations could be further threatened by the disease itself or by harm inflicted on bats resulting from a misconception that bats are spreading COVID-19. However, there is no evidence that bats in the United States are a source of the virus that causes COVID-19 for people. Further studies are needed to understand if and how bats could be affected by COVID-19.