Morbidity and Mortality-Infections and deaths from COVID-19 in meat, poultry industries

Morbidity and mortality reports that among 23 states reporting COVID-19 outbreaks in meat and poultry processing facilities, 16,233 cases in 239 facilities occurred, including 86 (0.5%) COVID 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. The proportion of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections among meat and poultry processing workers was 11.2%. High population-density workplace settings such as meat and poultry processing facilities present ongoing challenges to preventing and reducing the risk for COVID transmission. @ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6927e2.htm