Canadian health authorities have dismissed Chinese claims that the Covid-19 infection of the Omicron variant detected in Beijing may have been caused by packages received from Canada.

While this claim was made by the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it was rejected in Canada.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos described the argument as an “extraordinary point of view,” according to CBC News.

He added that China’s allegations “do not correspond to what we are doing internationally and domestically”.

Canada’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Supriya Sharma, told CTV it was “highly unlikely” because the virus on the package would have to travel internationally to survive. “It’s extremely unlikely to spread Covid-19,” she said.

Similar concerns have been raised about the mail since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but have been largely rejected. Canada Post addressed the matter in its section on the coronavirus, saying that “the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) have publicly assured that the risk when handling mail, including international mail, is low”.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times