A new study suggests that cousins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive on frozen meat and fish for up to 30 days.
The research -- prompted by COVID outbreaks in Asia in which packaged meat was suspected as the virus' source -- was conducted on frozen chicken, beef, pork and salmon.
The findings were published recently in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
"Although you might not store meat in the fridge for 30 days, you might store it in the freezer for that long,"
said first author Emily Bailey, assistant professor of public health at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.
These similar viruses were placed on frozen meat and fish, which was then stored in both refrigerator temperatures (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and freezer temperatures (-4 F.)
"We even found that the viruses could be cultured after [being frozen for] that length of time," Bailey said in a journal news release.
Researchers said their findings are significant because SARS-CoV-2 can reproduce in the gut,
not just in the respiratory tract where most people feel its effects."
Since I keep my meat frozen longer than that and don’t plan on eating it raw, I’m not so worried.