Chinese City Testing Fish For COVID

Authorities in the coastal city of Xiamen, province have made a public spectacle out of testing fish for coronavirus, after blaming fisherman in Fujian province for ‘importing’ the virus in June while reportedly conducting “illegal trade” with foreign boats, Vice reports.

“During operations, fishermen must undergo one test every day. When fishermen and their catch reach the shore, both ‘humans and goods’ have to be tested,” read an official notice issued late last month, which applies to fishermen, the fish, crabs, and any prawns caught.

Live seafood ‘tested’ for Covid-19 in China
Source: South China Morning Post (Youtube) pic.twitter.com/QGdwGHaSD1

— Wittgenstein (@backtolife_2023) August 18, 2022

“Do they isolate the fish if it tests positive?” one user on Weibo commented.

Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist from the University of South Australia, described the measure as “unnecessary.” 

“Fish basically cannot carry coronavirus. Firstly, they don’t have the receptors that coronaviruses latch on to. Secondly, the body temperature of fish is not suitable for the viruses to survive,” Esterman told VICE World News. “The chance of a fish being infected with coronavirus is pretty much zero.”

While the virus could potentially survive on the surfaces of frozen fish, as a previous case in Hong Kong showed last year, the risk of getting infected from contaminated surfaces is very low. Studies have found that less than 5 in 10,000 are infected through fomites—objects and surfaces that may carry the virus. -Vice

The official notice also offered up to half a a million yuan ($73,630) for ratting out violators.