KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19): The Ministry of Health (MOH) clarified today that there is no evidence suggesting Covid-19 infections can be transmitted via frozen food packaging.
MOH director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the main vector of Covid-19 transmissions is mainly by droplets, close contact between people and indirectly via surfaces.
"It is highly unlikely that one can contract the Covid-19 from food or even food packaging.
"Covid-19 is indeed a respiratory infection, basically [affecting] the lungs and et cetera.
"But at the moment, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Covid-19 can be transmitted via food or food packaging," explained Noor Hisham at a media briefing today.
Previously, Reuters reported that the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was possible that Covid-19 can be transmitted via frozen food packaging.
According to Reuters, the CDC detected and isolated living coronavirus on the outer packaging of frozen cod while it was trying to trace the virus in an outbreak reported in Qingdao, China.
The outbreak in question involved two dock workers who eventually spread the disease to 12 others, as the hospital where they were quarantining lacked proper disinfection and protection measures.
However, the centre said there were no cases of consumers contracting the virus through contact with frozen food, and the risk of this happening was very low.
Malaysia reported 865 new Covid-19 cases today, raising the total infections to 21,363.
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