Beijing: Over 2.29 million samples collected for nucleic acid testing

A total of 2.297 million samples were collected for nucleic acid testing in Beijing between June 11 and June 20, said Zhang Qiang, a member of the city's epidemic-control office who oversees nucleic acid testing at a news press conference in Beijing on Saturday.

The Chinese capital city is ramping up  nucleic acid tests for all deliverymen, Zhang said. 

The infection risk is "extremely low" for those who didn't have contacts with people linked to the Xinfadi market between May 30 and June 12, according to Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

All food, including seafood, cannot be infected with but can be contaminated by the coronavirus, said Li Fengqin, an official from China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, at the press conference.

Li pointed out that the novel coronavirus cannot be replicated after contaminating food or packaging, and the virus won't survive for a long period of time under normal temperatures. However, it can survive for a long time under low temperatures, according to Li.

For this reason, Li said that the possibility of coronavirus transmission from food or food packaging stored in low temperature cannot be ruled out yet.

Latest figures in Beijing:

- 22 new cases were reported on Friday, with the youngest infected a one-year-old and the oldest at 56.

- 205 infections were reported in Xinfadi market.

- The total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 625, with nine deaths.

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