Coronavirus found on seafood packaging in China

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The local government officials of Yantai, China said on Tuesday that they found novel coronavirus on the outer packaging of frozen seafood that was bought by three companies in their city.
• The goods were imported but authorities declined to provide information where it came from.
• Authorities had already sealed off the goods and put everyone who came in contact with the shipment under quarantine.

A local government in China said on Tuesday that officials have discovered the existence of novel coronavirus on the packaging of imported frozen seafood. The shipment was delivered at the port city of Dalian, which had a resurgence of COVID-19 cases recently.

The virus was detected on the outer layer of the frozen seafood packaging which was purchased by three Yantai-based companies in the eastern part of Shandong province.

In its statement, the Yantai city government did not disclose where the shipment came from but said that it was imported.

Some of the bought seafood shipments would be exported while the rest will be kept and would not be sold, the city government said.

When pressed whether any of the processed seafood had already been exported, a staff member from the Yantai coronavirus outbreak response unit did not further elaborate and told Reuters to turn to the government’s given statement. 

Officials had already taken care of the contaminated goods and had put everybody who had been in contact with it on quarantine. Those who were quarantined had tested negative for the coronavirus, the Yantai government said.

A similar incident happened last month where customs officers in Dalian discovered that the packaging of frozen shrimps that contained coronavirus was imported from Ecuador. China then restricted the importation from the shrimp manufacturers.

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The city’s market sells various types of seafood and wildlife animals. The virus had spread across the globe since then.

The first case of the latest coronavirus outbreak in Dalian city came from a seafood processing company. The city has recorded over 92 new infections as of August 9.

Source: New York Post