Amidst earlier concerns of how exactly the COVID-19 virus could be passed to us, everyone started getting more and more paranoid that germs would be transmitted through just about anything, including banknotes.
It’s also the reason why some aunties refused to go to markets or supermarkets to buy groceries when the pandemic first broke out.
They’re afraid that the virus could be transmitted through the food that we eat.
But is it true? Well, not exactly.
Traces Of Virus Found On Frozen Food
For all the earlier paranoia going on, traces of the coronavirus were actually found on a sample of frozen chicken wings imported into Shenzhen from Brazil, and the sample had tested positive for COVID-19.
However, after the authorities traced everyone who could’ve made contact with the wings and tested them for Covid-19, none of them returned positive results.
Which is strange, because now, authorities are wondering how the wings got infected in the first place.
This discovery on 13th August followed reports of a sample of frozen shrimp from Ecuador also containing traces of the coronavirus just the day before.
Social media exploded and people were wondering if it’s now safe to eat frozen seafood.
Well, if you happen to be a worrywart, I’ve got good news for you:
Chances Are Low, Thankfully
Yes, you don’t have to abstain from shrimps or chicken wings, luckily.
The imported food products were actually tested for the genetic material of the coronavirus, also known as RNA.
Apparently, the search for RNA also forms the basis of most of the coronavirus tests performed on people.
However, RNA is not all that is needed to confirm infection of COVID-19, it’s only an indicator.
Even after the virus is long gone, it could leave behind traces of its genetic material RNA, just like how humans leave behind traces of our fingerprints at crime scenes as an indicator that they were once present there at some point.
So, in a nutshell, it doesn’t mean that the virus is still active.
Doctors have commented that the chances of getting Covid-19 from contaminated frozen food are low.
As found in the guidelines from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or consuming food is associated with COVID-19.”
While there is a possibility of virus contamination via contaminated surfaces like the packaging of frozen foods, it is not among the main causes of transmission.
Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, says that the traces found were most likely due to someone with COVID-19 having handled the chicken wings.
Addressing concerns, she added that “it doesn’t mean, ‘Oh my God, nobody buy any chicken wings because they’re contaminated.'”
Dr C. Brandon Ogbunu, a disease ecologist at Yale University, also maintained that there are no connections between the discovery and fears that the virus is transmitted through long distances.
Long-Distance Transmissions Are Unusual
According to both doctors, it would be “extraordinarily unusual” for the virus to be transmitted by coming into contact with frozen products.
The virus would have to survive being frozen, melted, and re-frozen through the long journey from its country of origin to other countries.
Then, it would have to come into contact with someone’s bare hands and onto their nose or mouth in order for it to be fully transmitted.
When you put it that way, it definitely sounds improbable, doesn’t it?
As for eating contaminated food, Dr Ogbunu says it’s an “extremely small chance” that the virus will survive being heated up, then getting swallowed into an acidic environment like your stomach.
There are viruses which can possibly survive the process but Covid-19 isn’t one of them.
Nonetheless, be mindful of surfaces and wash your hands with soap frequently.
It’s not frozen chicken wings you should be afraid of, it’s other people, like the passenger who spat at a bus driver recently for asking him to wear his mask properly.
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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