Coronavirus can survive three weeks on frozen meat and fish, a new study has found.
Scientists say this may explain why outbreaks occur in countries that have not had cases for long periods.
In the study, individual spots of salmon, chicken and pork were cut from supermarkets in Singapore and a sample of the virus was added.
They were then stored in safe temperature – between 4C, which is standard cooling temperature, and minus 20C, which is standard freezing temperature.
After 21 days, researchers found that the virus was still present in the fish and meat samples, reports The Telegraph.
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Scientists claim that transmission through contaminated food is not an important route of infection, but the movement of contaminated items to a region without infections could potentially initiate an outbreak.
The study states: “A statement is required for the recurrence of Covid-19 outbreaks in regions with apparent local destruction.
“Recent outbreaks have occurred in Vietnam, New Zealand and parts of China where some cases have not been reported for some months.
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“Imports of contaminated food and food packaging are a possible source for such outbreaks and a source of clusters within existing outbreaks.
“While it can be confidently argued that transmission through contaminated food is not a major route of infection, the potential for movement of contaminated items to a region without Covid-19 and initiating an outbreak is an important hypothesis.
An infected food retailer has the potential to become an index case of a new outbreak.
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“The international food market is massive and even a very unlikely event could be expected from time to time.”
Prof James Wood, head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘The authors discuss, very sensibly, how important it is to encourage factory workers not to go to work as symptomatic. or have been in contact with Covid19 cases. “
A barge processing plant was closed this week after a ‘cluster’ of coronavirus was discovered among 35 workers.
The meat plant, Cranswick Country Foods in Cullybackey, near Ballymena in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, employs around 500 people.
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Public Health Minister Robin Swann described the outbreak as a “significant” addition that 35 staff members tested positive, as well as a smaller number of their contacts.
A company spokeswoman said: “There has been a recent increase in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ballymena and the wider region and this has been recognized as a community issue.
“As a result, we can confirm that a number of colleagues on our Ballymena site are testing positive for Covid-19.
Working with the Public Health Authority (PHA), we have decided to send all our colleagues for testing. If the test results are positive, the individual will be required to self-isolate for 10 days; if the test results are negative, the individual will be required to isolate himself for 14 days.
“Therefore, the site will have to stop production temporarily.”
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