Confirmed cases of COVID-19 at 239 meat and poultry plants in 23 states in April and May were put at 16,233 with 86 related deaths, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Combined with data from a study done through April 27 that included figures from six states that did not report for the updated data, at least 17,358 cases and 91 COVID-19–related deaths have occurred among U.S. meat and poultry processing workers.
Where demographic details were available, CDC said 87% of the cases were among racial and ethnic minority workers. CDC said that 12% of the cases were asymptomatic or presymptomatic, but the CDC cautioned that not all facilities performed widespread testing.
Of the 239 plants reporting cases, intervention and prevention efforts were reported by 111 of them, with 89 (80%) facilities reported screening workers on entry, 86 (77%) required all workers to wear face coverings, 72 (65%) increased the availability of hand hygiene stations, 70 (63%) educated workers on community spread, and 69 (62%) installed physical barriers between workers.
The report said animal slaughtering and processing industry employs an estimated 525,000 workers in approximately 3,500 facilities nationwide.
The CDC cautioned that the report findings have limitations, including that not all states responded with information and that the source of exposure and infection could not be identified as coming from the workplace or the community.
Welcome
