'Ask a virologist: Can I get COVID from my food delivery?'

04:10 Nov 21, 2021 1 1

'Tempting as it is to enjoy Michelin-starred food in the comfort of your own home, and with the rising levels of takeout across the nation, we ask, how safe is food delivery? Formosa News reporter Stephany Yang speaks to a virologist to find out.    Stephany Yang Formosa News reporter Is COVID-19 transmitted through food or food packaging? How safe is takeout or delivery during the pandemic? These are some common questions people have about dining during a pandemic.  ?Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director Shih Shin-ru says there are currently no reports that food transmits coronavirus, but the risk still exists.  Shih Shin-ru  Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director  For the takeout of food, I think it\'\'s unlikely to catch COVID-19. There\'\'s no reports that food will transmit coronaviurs. But the risk does exist. According to a virological observation because if someone cough and the surface is contaminated by the virus, and the virus can exist for awhile. From Epidemiological study there\'\'s no report that anyone got infected by the surface contamination. But for virology, we artificially put different amounts of virus on the surface and then wait for the while. We detect it again, and it was observed that the virus is still there. Especially when virus is tighter, it\'\'s high, then it can last very long.   Can COVID-19 stay alive on cold or uncooked food items? Dr. Shih and her team have conducted several experiments to see how long the virus survives on cold and hot environments. Their findings show that the virus lives on colder environments for a longer time.  Shih Shin-ru  Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director We have done such kind of experiments because we are really concerned that probably virus can live for awhile especially in the refrigerator or in the freezer. So we put the virus into 4 degrees and -20 degrees. Our finding is that after one month, the virus is still alive. Especially for the mutant virus because when the virus originated from Wuhan in the beginning of last year, the virus is kind of not that stable. But after April last year, the virus got one mutation, the position is at 14, from D to G. Such kind of mutation, the virus become more stable. Such kind of mutant we put into the -20 or -40, until one month we can still detect sufficient amount of virus.   How can we eat safely amid the pandemic? Dr. Shih has these tips for safely getting takeout and delivery amid the pandemic.  Shih Shin-ru  Chang Gung University emerging viral infections director The virus transmitting from food? I think the risk is quite low. The probability is very low. Probably 1 in 10,000. UberEats and Food Panda are my best friends. I have no time to cook.?My strategy is that I put the food onto another plate and use my own spoon and forks. If i have some concerns, I put into microwave to reheat for 2-3 minutes. I\'\'m not really sure if the virus dies, but it will definitely reduce the virus amount. It will become safer.   Dr. Shih says that although the risk of ?transmitting the virus through food is low, she still suggests that people wash their hands thoroughly, transfer the food from takeout containers to their own plates, use own utensils, and microwave the food for a few minutes before eating.' 

Tags: English news , 民視 , 民視新聞 , 英語新聞 , Formosa News

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