Ice cream produced by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company, was found to be contaminated with coronavirus in northern China’s Tianjin Municipality by anti-epidemic authorities in the area, who are now tracing those who have been in contact with the batches, Sky News reported.
According to authorities, the company has produced 4,836 boxes of contaminated Ice cream, with 2,089 boxes sealed in storage.
Out of the other 2,747 boxes that entered the market, 935 were in Tianjin and only 65 were sold.
"It's likely this has come from a person, and without knowing the details, I think this is probably a one-off," Dr. Stephen Griffin, a virologist based at the University of Leeds, told Sky News.
According to Griffin, this is likely a result of hygiene issues at the factory. He also suggested the reason the virus could survive until the samples were taken was the fact that ice cream was stored in cold temperatures as well as the fact that it contains fat. He further explained that this should not be cause for major concern, as he believes that it is no reason to believe that this will be a recurring issue with every box of ice cream.The factory's 1,662 workers were placed under quarantine and were underwent several tests to check for the coronavirus, according to Sky News.
Those who may have bought the contaminated ice cream have been instructed to report their health and physical movement to those in their communities.
Early studies of the coronavirus suggested that the coronavirus could survive on surfaces for up to several days, though applying disinfectants would remove it quickly.