Live fish given a Covid test in Shanghai market

We’ve seen unprecedented events play out over the last few years, but we’ve reached a stage of the Coronavirus pandemic that people could surely never have expected.

A new video has emerged which shows medical workers conducting Covid-19 tests on fish at a market in Shanghai.

The bizarre clip sees a medical professional dressed in full PPE swab a live fish in one of the strangest things we’ve seen since the pandemic broke out in 2020.

“Please don't let go of it," the medical worker says in the clip.

"Don't worry, it won't bite you," the fishmonger responds.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The clip has gone viral in China since being picked up by the likes of South China Morning Post and other news outlets.

It might seem like an extreme way of combating the virus, but it does come after Shanghai experienced a surge of cases over recent weeks.

Live fish ‘tested’ for Covid-19 in Shanghai food marketwww.youtube.com

The city is observing lockdowns, with the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission stating that 4,144 asymptomatic cases and 358 symptomatic Covid cases were recorded on Thursday.

The clip has sparked quite the reaction online, with some finding it funny and others questioning the new protocols shown in the video.

“It's good to find some lighthearted moments in all this craziness. That is one healthy fish,” one social media user said.

“China is really stepping it up very bizarre tho,” another added.

“Hope China has built enough Quarantine Aquariums,” one more joked.

Meanwhile, it’s not just China that is experiencing higher numbers of Covid infections.

The number of people with Covid-19 across the UK has reached record highs, according to new estimates, as the government ends mass free testing in England this week.

Some 349,011 people are being infected every day with the virus, according to the latest Zoe Covid Study update, meaning that one in 15 people in the UK has the virus, the highest figure reported since the beginning of the pandemic.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.