Workers of Dongjin Frozen Meat Co Ltd in protective clothes process the slaughtered pigs (in the ... [+] packing section) in the frozen pork plant in Huidong, Guangdong, during a media tour by supermarket chain Wellcome. The study noted the presence of infectious (live) virus, not just genetic material, on meat which was previously refrigerated and frozen for up to 3 weeks—and later thawed. Needless to say, as Lee emphasizes, finding genetic material on the surface of food is not the same as finding live replicating virus. This distinction is important because viruses are quite different than bacteria—they cannot survive on their own without a live host. The amount of infectious virus remained the same at 3 weeks in both refrigerated (40C) and frozen samples (-200C and -800C).

Source: Forbes August 23, 2020 20:26 UTC