As I see it | Coronavirus is spreading via mail and frozen food? There’s no evidence to prove it
- Most scientists agree there is a very slim chance of infection from contaminated surfaces
- Chinese officials continue to claim it is happening, as the rest of the world remains unconvinced
That includes infection from contaminated surfaces – known as fomite transmission. Most scientists agree that there is a very slim chance of this happening, given that the virus cannot survive for too long on surfaces. Even if it does survive, the traces left on a surface may not be enough to cause an infection.
Scientists have looked into this possible transmission route in high-risk settings such as cruise ships and hospital wards for Covid-19 patients. While it cannot be ruled out, the consensus is that this is not a major route of transmission. The virus is mainly spread via respiratory droplets when infected people talk, breathe, cough or sneeze.
Officials have linked contaminated frozen food or goods to outbreaks in Beijing, Dalian, Kashgar, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, and most recently an Omicron case in Shenzhen. But so far, the live virus was only isolated from the packaging of imported frozen cod in Qingdao.