One of 70 samples of imported cherry collected from a market in Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei province, tested positive when subjected to the COVID-19 nucleic acid test on Saturday.

Earlier, cherry samples in Wuxi city, East China's Jiangsu province, had tested positive. Elsewhere in the past few weeks, ice creams, imported beer, dates stuffed with milk powder and imported meat have tested positive.

Should one avoid imported food to stay safe? One can be cautious, but there is no need to panic. Samples of imported food testing positive is not the same as human beings testing positive.

Cherry samples test positive when remains of dead COVID-19 viruses are found inside the packs. Just a fragment of the virus' RNA, or a virus that has already lost activity, survives because of low temperatures. However, the "dead" virus cannot infect any more.

Even if some active COVID-19 viruses remain, they will get washed away if the cherries are washed under running water before consumption.

There is danger of COVID-19 infection if someone touches a contaminated frozen food package and then his or her eyes or mouth or other mucous membrane. But the possibility of that is high only in cold storage warehouses where the temperatures are low enough for the virus to be active and in high concentration.

To be on the safe side, it is necessary to subject imported food to nucleic acid tests and cut all infection channels.

There is every reason for health authorities to work hard and ensure everyone's safety but no reason for people to panic.

－TAN QINDONG, A DOCTOR AND MEMBER OF CHINESE SOCIETY OF MICROCIRCULATION