Covid-19 Coronavirus can survive on frozen meat and fish for up to 3 weeks, research findings

A new study posted on BioR_xiv found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, can survive on frozen meat and fish for periods of up to 3 weeks, as researchers continue to explore the possibility that contaminated food may be the source of new outbreaks in countries that had previously controlled the virus.

The study found the presence of infected (live) virus, not just genetic material, on meat that had previously been chilled and frozen for up to 3 weeks – and later thawed. This study comes on the heels of another recent report from Shenzhen, China, which found SARS-CoV-2 genetic material, non-living virus that can replicate, on the surface of frozen chicken wings, a story recently shared by others Forbes employee, Bruce Lee.

Needless to say, as Lee emphasizes, finding genetic material on the surface of food is not the same as finding replicating virus. This distinction is important because viruses are very different from bacteria – they cannot survive on their own without a live host. Besides, even having enough virus is even more important for risk of infection. As a result, the potential for infectivity – possessing a high enough viral load which is then able to pass on to a person – after eating the particular food is quite distant.

In fact, another recent report by Reuters also found the presence of viral genetic material on the outer packaging of frozen seabirds in Yantai, China. So far, there is no need to worry because health officials in Shenzhen or Yantai have not yet found a reliable threat from these food-related sources. And rightly so, because the main transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is droplet-spreading, from person to person, and not through surfaces or even fomites. Even the possibility of aerosolization of fomites (virus on surfaces) when applied is still free at a distance and is not the primary mode of transmission.

For the new study, the researchers inoculated 500 small individual cubes of salmon, chicken and pork from supermarkets in Singapore with a heavy dose of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles. The meat was then stored at 3 different temperatures: 4⁰C, (refrigerator) -20⁰C, and -80⁰C. After the meat was detected at different times (1, 2, 5, 7, 14 and 21 days after inoculation), the researchers determined that the number of infectious virus – virus that could reproduce – remained the same or the temperature was 4⁰C, -20⁰C as -80⁰C. The number of infected virus remained the same in both refrigerators at 3 weeks (4⁰C) and frozen samples (-20⁰C and -80⁰C).

The authors of the new study hypothesize that workers in meat processing plants could potentially be a vector for the spread of the virus, following exposure to the infected meat that was previously frozen in other countries. This, the authors explain, could serve as an explanation for recent outbreaks in places like New Zealand that had no reports of new cases for more than 3 months (to send communications). That said, the contribution of poor working conditions (folop, poor ventilation, lack of PPE, and screaming due to increased ambient noise levels) along with contact with other infected workers reporting to work – may also be responsible for the spread of the virus .

In light of the new information obtained from the study, people would still need to realize that the risk of catching the virus by exposure to, or eating, rather cold than frozen meat and fish is at best theoretical. It is a hypothesis that the authors have advanced, without definitive evidence of transfer at this time.

While the authors of the study have shown that the virus “may survive the time and temperatures associated with transportation and storage conditions associated with the international food trade,” it may have the potential to contaminate food with infected viruses. However, it does not establish that this is a mode of possible transmission of Covid-19.

However, it argues that efforts to reduce the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks’ seed through contaminated food should start again at source; that is premieres for food processing, ”the authors state. And, of course, this should include careful attention to hand hygiene, cleaning utensils, materials and contact surfaces over food.

The CDC has stated that “at present there is no evidence to suggest that food processing or consumption is linked to Covid-19.” In addition, the WHO also issued a statement on food safety and handling, stating that “it is highly unlikely that humans will be able to contract Covid-19 from food or food packaging.”

Even if you consume foods that contain infected viruses, the acidity of your stomach would probably kill the virus immediately, making it a non-problem in terms of infected spread in your body. And the chance that the virus will gain access to your nasal passages and upper airways during eating – the mode in which SARS-CoV-2 causes an infection through the ACE2 receptor – is even further.