This food can carry coronavirus for up to a week: Study

New Delhi : The COVID-19 hit Beijing several weeks after the last confirmed case of coronavirus infection, authorities believed the virus might have come from salmon.

Recently the traces of the virus were found on several imported foods and their packaging, like salmon from Norway and Chicken wings from Brazil.

According to a team of Chinese researchers, the international business of salmon, a common name for several species of ray-finned fish, may have caused the pandemic as the coronavirus can survive for over a week on the scales of chilled fresh salmon, according to a report in South China Morning Post.

The researchers said the virus could remain infectious for eight days when the fish was stored at a temperature of 4 degrees celsius.

However, the salmon is usually kept at 4 degrees in markets and during export-import. This tends to increase the lifespan of the virus by six days.

According to the researchers, the insurgence and resurgence of the virus in China were also associated with wet markets that sold seafood.

Earlier in June, China had suspended the import and export of salmon in order to contain the spread of the virus.

Another study reported by the Telegraph UK in August indicated that Covid-19 infected frozen food can cause outbreaks as the virus doesn’t get killed in freezing temperatures.

Health officials might consider additional precautions to prevent workers who handle salmon and other fish from potentially contaminating them during processing.