The disease control authority of China stated on Saturday, October 17, that the contact with frozen food packaging contaminated by living coronavirus or COVID-19 can cause the infection. The conclusion came as the CDC of China detected and also isolated living coronavirus on the outer packaging of the frozen cod during attempts of tracing the virus in an outbreak confirmed last week in the city of Qingdao, the agency mentioned on its website.
The finding, which is the world's first suggests that it is possible for the deadly virus to be conveyed over long distances with the help of frozen goods, it mentioned. Two workers at the dock in Qindao who were initially diagnosed as asymptomatic cases of infections in September got the virus to a chest hospital during quarantine because of insufficient disinfection and protection leading to another 12 cases linked to the hospital, the authorities stated last week.
China CDC Warns About Frozen Food Packaging Carrying COVID-19
But, the latest statement of CDC does not show any solid proof that the two workers caught the virus from the packaging directly rather than contracting the disease from somewhere else and then contaminating the food packaging they handled, Jin Dong Yan, a virology professor at the University of Hong Kong said.
The CDC mentioned that no instance has been discovered if any consumer getting the virus by coming in contact with frozen food and the risk of this taking place remained very low. But it is advised that the workers who handle frozen products must avoid direct skin contact with products, which can possibly be polluted.
The agency stated that the staff should not touch their mouth or nose before taking off the work clothes that might possibly get infected with the virus or washing hands and must take tests regularly. Before the latest findings of the CDC, genetic traces of the virus had been found in few samples taken from frozen food or food packaging, but the amount of virus was low and no living virus got isolated, as per the agency.
