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BEIJING: In a city of China, ice cream has been found contaminated with a coronavirus as three samples tested positive for the virus.
More than 4,800 boxes of ice cream have been contaminated with coronavirus in China after samples tested positive for the virus. Authorities are desperately tracing people who may have been in contact with the desserts, which were produced by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company.
The company has sealed and contained all their ice cream since finding out that 4,836 boxes tested positive for the deadly disease. Initial investigations show the firm produced the batch of ice cream using raw materials, including milk powder imported from New Zealand and whey powder imported from Ukraine.
Dr. Stephen Griffin, a virologist based at the University of Leeds, reported to the international news agency that the development was unlikely to be a cause for “panic”.
Read more: China reports first COVID-19 death in eight months
“It’s likely this has come from a person, and without knowing the details, I think this is probably a one-off,” he said. “Of course, any level of contamination is not acceptable and always a cause for concern, but the chances are that this is the result of an issue with the production plant and potentially down to hygiene at the factory.”
He also said that the cold temperature that ice cream was stored at, and the fact it contains fat, could explain why the virus had survived on the samples taken – but suggested the news should not prompt major alarm.
