WASHINGTON — It’s a shocking headline.
China reporting they found coronavirus on chicken imported from Brazil. But experts say we shouldn’t panic over contracting covid-19 from food.
China says the virus was detected in a surface sample from a batch of chicken wings. So far no one who came in contact with the package has tested positive for coronavirus, and authorities say they are tracing products from the same shipment back to the buyers.
Primary transmission is through airborne droplets
Infectious disease experts are not too concerned about our food supply. One of the big reasons? As we've learned as this pandemic progressed, this virus is much more likely to be airborne that foodborne. Coronavirus is largely spreading through respiratory droplets, and while it is possible to catch it from a contaminated surface, regular hand washing has severely limited that spread.
The virus can't survive shipping, and stomach acid kills the virus.
The World Health Organization also says it is highly unlikely coronavirus could survive the shipping process. Although it can survive for a few hours or even days on certain surfaces, it would most likely be destroyed once it is exposed to different conditions and temperatures.
And if you're still concerned, a virologist at Columbia university also told CNN that our stomach acids will kill any coronavirus that lingered on food.