Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities - United States, April-May 2020.
This report provides updated aggregate data from states regarding the number of meat and poultry processing facilities affected by COVID-19, the number and demographic characteristics of affected workers, and the number of COVID-19-associated deaths among workers, as well as descriptions of interventions and prevention efforts at these facilities. Aggregate data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths among workers identified and reported through May 31, 2020, were obtained from 239 affected facilities (those with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case in one or more workers) in 23 states.* COVID-19 was confirmed in 16,233 workers, including 86 COVID-19-related deaths. Among 14 states reporting the total number of workers in affected meat and poultry processing facilities (112,616), COVID-19 was diagnosed in 9.1% of workers. Among 9,919 (61%) cases in 21 states with reported race/ethnicity, 87% occurred among racial and ethnic minority workers. Commonly reported interventions and prevention efforts at facilities included implementing worker temperature or symptom screening and COVID-19 education, mandating face coverings, adding hand hygiene stations, and adding physical barriers between workers. Targeted workplace interventions and prevention efforts that are appropriately tailored to the groups most affected by COVID-19 are critical to reducing both COVID-19-associated occupational risk and health disparities among vulnerable populations. Implementation of these interventions ...
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Waltenburg MA, Victoroff T, Rose CE, Butterfield M, Jervis RH, Fedak KM, Gabel JA, Feldpausch A, Dunne EM, Austin C, Ahmed FS, Tubach S, Rhea C, Krueger A, Crum DA, Vostok J, Moore MJ, Turabelidze G, Stover D, Donahue M, Edge K, Gutierrez B, Kline KE, Mar Tags: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Source Type: research
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