Three samples of ice cream from a Chinese company tested positive for COVID-19, and thousands of boxes of the dessert were seized.
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The contaminated ice cream caused Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company to dump 2089 boxes of the product, although officials believe more than double the amount – 4,836 boxes – were contaminated, Sky News reported.
More than half of the total boxes were already for sale when the positive tests were discovered. Market regulators in other provinces outside Tianjin to which the ice cream has been sent have been notified of the issue, and customers who may have purchased the product are being told to report their health to community officials.
According to the report, 1,662 employees were tested at the company on Thursday and were in quarantine.
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Officials believe the coronavirus was able to survive due to the cold temperature in the ice cream and was probably transmitted from someone who had the disease.
Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, told Sky News the infestation was probably a ‘one-off’ and not an indication of a broader problem with the plant itself.
“Of course, any level of pollution is not acceptable and there is always concern, but chances are it is due to a problem with the production plant and possibly to hygiene in the factory,” Griffin said.
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Initial epidemiological investigations have shown that Tianjin produces the amount of ice cream with raw materials, including milk powder imported from New Zealand and whey powder imported from Ukraine.