As the world continues to struggle with COVID-19, scientists around the world are researching the ways the new virus can spread and where it can survive. Now, the authorities in China have found the novel coronavirus on the packaging of imported frozen seafood that came from the port city of Dalian. The city had recently witnessed a surge of the deadly novel virus cases, local government officials said on Tuesday.
The presence of the virus was found on the outer packaging of frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in the eastern part of Shandong province. The government of Yantai city said in a statement that the seafood belonged to an imported shipment that came at Dalian but did not say where it originated.
COVID-19 on Packaging of Seafood
In July, customs officers in Dalian found the virus in the packaging of frozen shrimps that were imported from Ecuador and China. Subsequently, imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers were suspended. Some of the seafood that the three Yantai companies bought were processed for export whereas the rest was stored in cold storage and has not entered the market, the government of Yantai said.
Authorities sealed off the goods and everyone who was handling the goods had tested negative, according to the city government. The latest outbreak of coronavirus in Dalian city started in late July, with the first case registered at a seafood processing company. As per current reports, Dalian has confirmed 92 cases of the virus.
COVID-19 Crisis
The deadly virus outbreak had probably originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan located in the Hubei province. The outbreak has infected more than 20 million people till now and has claimed the lives of over 736,000 people worldwide in more than 170 nations.
Scientists around the world are trying to understand the characteristics of the novel virus and how it is mutating. An effective vaccine to tackle the outbreak is expected by the first quarter of 2021, however, Russia has already registered a vaccine that it claims to be the first one for tackling the coronavirus.
