COVID-19 report calls for tighter cold chain measures

The report suggested strengthening management of the global cold chain industry, including the processing of frozen fish and meat.

"This may be a hidden route of transmission due to the long-distance transportation of cold-chain seafood products found to be infectious," it said.

Meanwhile, people deemed at high risk of contracting the virus, especially workers engaged in port operations and seafood processing, should undergo regular testing in order to detect possible infections as early as possible.

The report added that the two workers had both taken off their masks to smoke, and that none of the other workers, who had kept their masks on, were infected, suggesting that proper personal protection measures are vital.

It called for conducting more research into the virus' ability to survive in humid, cold and high-saline environments.

It also noted that the chance of getting infected from frequent exposure to contaminated products was relatively low, and that no consumers had been reported to have contracted the virus due to contact with food products.

"The international community should pay close attention to the SARS-CoV-2 transmission mode through the cold chain, build cooperative international efforts, and share relevant data," it said.

The role of cold chain products in aiding the spread of the virus has been examined and debated by researchers around the world for quite a long time after several domestic outbreaks in China were found to be linked to contaminated imports.

During a study earlier this year into the virus' origin, which was convened by the World Health Organization, international experts suggested that cold chain transmission may have been one of the ways the virus was first introduced into the human population, and that more effort should be devoted to understanding the involvement of cold chain and frozen food products in the virus' origin.