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KUALA LUMPUR (July 13): The freezer compartment in the refrigerator could be the reason people catch Covid-19 a month from now, a new study has warned.
In the study released on Tuesday (July 12), researchers found that the virus can survive within various meat products people keep in their refrigerators or freezers for more than 30 days.
In their study, researchers examined chicken, beef, pork, and salmon products, storing them in refrigerators at 39.2°F (4°C) or and in freezers at -4°F (-15.56°C).
They exposed the meat to surrogate viruses — which have similar spike proteins to the SARS-CoV-2 virus but are less harmful to people.
According to the study by Campbell University published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, the viruses could be cultured after being frozen for that length of time.
The team noted that they began their investigation after hearing reports of Covid-19 outbreaks in areas of Southeast Asia that had no previous records of community transmission.
The study authors said SARS-CoV-2 is capable of replicating within a person’s gut, as well as their respiratory tract.
This makes the study of food-based viral transmission even more important during the pandemic.
Previous studies have suggested that Covid-19 actually impacts a patient’s gut before respiratory symptoms begin.
Other reports have also linked worsening Covid-19 severity to a patient’s poor gut health.
During the new study, researchers substituted Covid-19 with three different surrogates — one RNA virus with a lipid envelop and two animal coronaviruses (murine hepatitis virus and transmissible gastroenteritis virus).
All three are common substitutes for SARS-CoV-2 in scientific experiments.
However, researchers said these viruses see greater reductions in their numbers at low temperatures in both the refrigerator and the freezer.
This could mean Covid-19 is even more resilient to the cold.
The study authors also noted that viral loads surviving in the frozen meat vary depending on the food.
The researchers said continued efforts are needed to prevent contamination of foods and food processing surfaces, worker hands and food processing utensils, such as knives.
Additionally, the lack of or inadequate disinfection of these foods prior to packaging needs to be addressed.
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