Cold storage worker confirmed as new COVID-19 case in Tianjin

A cold storage worker in Tianjin was confirmed as a local COVID-19 case, reported the city's disease control and prevention center on Sunday.

The man, 38, was a loading and unloading worker at a frozen food company in Tianjin. His result for the coronavirus testing showed positive around 2 am on Sunday morning and he was later diagnosed as a COVID-19 confirmed patient.

According to the center, the worker loaded a batch of imported frozen food products at the company on Nov 4, the outer packaging of which tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday in Dezhou, Shandong province.

A total of 11 people in Tianjin were exposed to the tainted food and they all tested negative for the virus. Eight close contacts of the confirmed case are under medical observation and their nucleic acid tests all came negative.

Epidemiology work is still underway to identify more contacts potentially exposed to the infection.

The cold storage facility has been sealed. Disinfection works have been completed in the working and living places of the confirmed case.

As of 11 am Sunday, samples of 156 people in the same community of the case have been collected for nucleic acid testing and more are awaiting collection.

Tianjin received a report from Dezhou, Shandong province, indicating the outer packaging of a batch of imported food via the company tested positive for COVID-19 virus on Saturday.

Following the warning, Tianjin launched the nucleic acid testing related to the virus tainted food, including the transportation vehicles, cold storage and people exposed to the risks. All results showed negative, except the worker and a storage door handle that tested positive for the virus.

Besides, Tianjin also received a report from Taiyuan in Shanxi on Saturday that the outer packaging of a batch of imported frozen food through Tianjin port tested positive. Testing for food, people and environments related to the report all showed negative and related cold storage has been sealed.