Coronavirus on chilled salmon may be infectious for over a week
A team of Chinese researchers has found the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 can survive for more than a week on the surface of chilled fresh salmon, raising implications that it could be a source of international transmission.
The experiment discovered that the virus remained infectious for eight days after being kept at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The experiment also found that Sars-CoV-2, the official name for the virus, remained infectious on the salmon for two days at 25 degrees, which the researchers called “regular room temperature”.
Salmon is typically kept at 4 degrees in markets, restaurants and during transport, extending the virus’s lifespan by six days. High-quality salmon can be moved across the world in a matter of days. For instance, Chile’s fishing authority said last year that salmon could reach Shanghai in two-and-a-half days.
Because it is hard for a totalitarian regime to admit that it fucked up. Especially one with astronomical salaries, that really helps to puff up the hubris.