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Volume 27, Number 1—January 2021
Dispatch

Coronavirus Disease among Workers in Food Processing, Food Manufacturing, and Agriculture Workplaces

Michelle A. WaltenburgComments to Author , Charles E. Rose, Tristan Victoroff, Marilee Butterfield, Jennifer A. Dillaha, Amy Heinzerling, Meagan Chuey, Maria Fierro, Rachel H. Jervis, Kristen M. Fedak, Andrea Leapley, Julie A. Gabel, Amanda Feldpausch, Eileen M. Dunne, Connie Austin, Caitlin S. Pedati, Farah S. Ahmed, Sheri Tubach, Charles Rhea, Julius Tonzel, Anna Krueger, David A. Crum, Johanna Vostok, Michael J. Moore, Hannah Kempher, Joni Scheftel, George Turabelidze, Derry Stover, Matthew Donahue, Deepam Thomas, Karen Edge, Bernadette Gutierrez, Erica Berl, Meagan McLafferty, Kelly E. Kline, Nichole Martz, James C. Rajotte, Ernest Julian, Abdoulaye Diedhiou, Rachel Radcliffe, Joshua L. Clayton, Dustin Ortbahn, Jason Cummins, Bree Barbeau, Stacy Carpenter, Julia C. Pringle, Julia Murphy, Brandy Darby, Nicholas R. Graff, Tia K.H. Dostal, Ian W. Pray, Courtney Tillman, Dale A. Rose, Margaret A. Honein, and CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (M.A. Waltenburg, C.E. Rose, T. Victoroff, M. Chuey, E.M. Dunne, M. Donahue, J.C. Pringle, I.W. Pray, D.A. Rose, M.A. Honein); Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, USA (M. Butterfield); Arkansas Department of Health, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA (J.A. Dillaha); California Department of Public Health, Richmond, California, USA (A. Heinzerling); County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, California, USA (M. Chuey); Imperial County Public Health Department, El Centro, California, USA (M. Fierro); Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, Colorado, USA (R.H. Jervis, K.M. Fedak); Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, Florida, USA (A. Leapley); Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta (J.A. Gabel, A. Feldpausch); Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Boise, Idaho, USA (E.M. Dunne); Illinois Department of Public Health, Springfield, Illinois, USA (C. Austin); Iowa Department of Public Health, Des Moines, Iowa, USA (C.S. Pedati); Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Topeka, Kansas, USA (F.S. Ahmed, S. Tubach); Kentucky Department for Public Health, Frankfort, Kentucky, USA (C. Rhea); Louisiana Department of Health, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (J. Tonzel); Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Augusta, Maine, USA (A. Krueger); Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (D.A. Crum); Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (J. Vostok, M.J. Moore); Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (H. Kempher, J. Scheftel); Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, Missouri, USA (G. Turabelidze); Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (D. Stover, M. Donahue); New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton, New Jersey, USA (D. Thomas); New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (K. Edge, B. Gutierrez); North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA (E. Berl); Oregon Health Authority, Portland, Oregon, USA (M. McLafferty); Pennsylvania Department of Health, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA (K.E. Kline); Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg (N. Martz); Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence, Rhode Island, USA (J.C. Rajotte, E. Julian); South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, South Carolina, USA (A. Diedhiou, R. Radcliffe); South Dakota Department of Health, Pierre, South Dakota, USA (J.L. Clayton, D. Ortbahn); Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (J. Cummins); Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (B. Barbeau); Vermont Department of Public Health, Burlington, Vermont, USA (S. Carpenter, J.C. Pringle); Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia, USA (J. Murphy, B. Darby); Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, USA (N.R. Graff, T.K.H. Dostal); Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (I.W. Pray); Wyoming Department of Health, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA (C. Tillman)

Main Article

Table 2

Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among workers in meat and poultry processing facilities in 31 US states, March 1–May 31, 2020*

State† Type of meat or poultry No. workplaces affected No. workers in affected workplaces Confirmed COVID-19 cases among workers, no. (%) COVID-19–related deaths, no. (%)‡
Arizona
 Beef
 1
 1,750
 162 (9.3)
 0
Arkansas
 Poultry
 49
 NA
 779 (–)
 10 (1.3)
California§
 Beef, lamb, pork, poultry, other
 11
 NA
 466 (–)
 2 (0.4)
Colorado
 Beef, bison, lamb, poultry
 7
 7,711
 422 (5.5)
 9 (2.1)
Georgia
 Poultry
 14
 16,500
 509 (3.1)
 1 (0.2)
Idaho
 Beef
 2
 797
 72 (9.0)
 0
Illinois
 Beef, pork, poultry
 26
 NA
 1,029 (–)
 10 (1.0)
Iowa
 Beef, pork, poultry
 26
 22,170
 6,131 (27.7)
 19 (0.3)
Kansas
 Beef, pork, poultry
 10
 NA
 2,670 (–)
 8 (0.3)
Kentucky
 Pork, poultry
 7
 7,633
 559 (7.3)
 4 (0.7)
Louisiana
 Poultry
 2
 1,430
 51 (3.6)
 0
Maine
 Poultry
 1
 411
 50 (12.2)
 1 (2.0)
Maryland
 Poultry
 2
 2,036
 208 (10.2)
 5 (2.4)
Massachusetts
 Poultry, other
 33
 NA
 263 (–)
 0
Minnesota
 Beef, pork, poultry, other
 19
 15,025
 2,120 (14.1)
 2 (0.1)
Missouri
 Beef, pork, poultry
 9
 8,469
 745 (8.8)
 2 (0.3)
Nebraska
 Beef, pork, poultry
 23
 26,134
 3,438 (13.2)
 14 (0.4)
New Jersey
 Beef
 1
 500
 33 (6.6)
 0
New Mexico
 Beef, pork, poultry
 2
 550
 24 (4.4)
 0
North Carolina¶
 Pork, poultry
 28
 32,325
 2,491 (7.7)
 13 (0.5)
Oregon
 Beef, pork, poultry, other
 7
 1,945
 60 (3.1)
 0
Pennsylvania
 Beef, pork, poultry, other
 30
 15,548
 1,169 (7.5)
 8 (0.7)
Rhode Island
 Beef, pork, poultry, other
 6
 NA
 78 (–)
 0
South Carolina
 Beef, pork, poultry, other
 16
 NA
 97 (–)
 0
South Dakota
 Beef, pork, poultry
 4
 6,500
 1,593 (24.5)
 3 (0.2)
Tennessee
 Pork, poultry, other
 7
 NA
 640 (–)
 2 (0.3)
Utah
 Beef, pork, poultry
 4
 NA
 67 (–)
 1 (1.5)
Virginia
 Pork, poultry, other
 14
 NA
 1,109 (–)
 10 (0.9)
Washington
 Beef, poultry
 7
 4,452
 468 (10.5)
 4 (0.9)
Wisconsin
 Beef, pork, veal
 14
 14,125
 860 (6.1)
 4 (0.5)
Wyoming#
 Beef
 0
 NA
 1 (–)
 0
Total Beef, bison, lamb, pork, poultry, veal, other 382 186,011** 28,364 132

*Preliminary data published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (1); 8 additional states, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Oregon, provided data that was not included in the prior assessment. COVID-19, coronavirus disease; NA, not available; –, percent not calculated due to missing data.
†Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Vermont reported no cases of COVID-19 among workers in meat and poultry processing facilities.
‡Percentage of deaths among cases.
§Data from 7 California counties.
¶Reported cases are among workers and close contacts of workers.
#One worker with COVID-19 worked at a meat processing facility in another state.
**Among 20 of 31 states reporting the number of workers in affected workplaces, 11.4% of 186,011 workers received COVID-19 diagnoses.

Main Article

References
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Main Article

Page created: October 13, 2020
Page updated: December 21, 2020
Page reviewed: December 21, 2020
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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