Do not fear transmission through food: the World Health Organization wanted to be reassuring Thursday August 13 after China announced that it had discovered the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 disease on imported food.
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" We don't think the coronavirus can be transmitted through food ... If we understand correctly, China looks for the virus on packaging, has tested hundreds of thousands of them and found very few, less than one. ten positive, ”explained scientist Maria Van Kerkhove. However, " we know that it can remain on surfaces for a while " and " we have given instructions, with the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Editor's note), on food handling and work ”in the food sector so that workers are safe in their work environment, added the head of the emerging diseases unit at the WHO.
“ People shouldn't be afraid of food, or food packaging or the food chain, ” said Michael Ryan, director of health emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO). " Our food, with regard to Covid, is safe "; " There is no evidence that food or food chains participate in the transmission of the virus ", he said, recalling the usual precautions (" washing hands ", " cooking food " ).
" We must not inflate this type of information, " he still pleaded. " People are afraid enough of the pandemic already ." Chinese authorities announced Thursday that they had found a trace of the virus, during a routine check, on samples of frozen chicken wings taken on Tuesday but also on packaging of shrimp from Ecuador.