In the news

Canadian health officials confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at an Olymel pork plant prompting the Union representing the plant workers to call for a temporary shutdown of the facility. Alberta Health Services announced that at least 80 active new COVID-19 cases had been confirmed among Olymel employees at the Red Deer, Alberta, pork plant. The local Union is calling for the facility to be temporarily shut down to stop the latest spread of coronavirus.  Olymel confirms covid has affected additional workers at the facility since late January. The Union estimates that about 80% of the plant’s employees are now afraid to go to work following one worker’s death in the latest outbreak. In October, at least 60 employees at its pork plant in Quebec were confirmed to have COVID-19 infections. @ https://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/97224

The FDA launched an assignment to collect romaine lettuce samples from commercial coolers in the Yuma, Arizona, growing region during the current harvest season. The samples will be tested for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella spp. Samples will be collected from February to the end of the season. The focus on commercial coolers enables the FDA to collect samples from multiple farms at centralized locations efficiently. The agency plans to collect and test approximately 500 samples of romaine lettuce. The FDA has contracted with an independent laboratory located in Arizona near the collection sites to test the samples. Test results will be obtained within 24 hours of the laboratory receiving the samples. The agency will engage with the industry in conducting root cause analyses for any positive samples found during this assignment. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-announces-new-sampling-plan-romaine-grown-yuma-arizona-growing-region

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and USDA-FSIS investigated a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections due to deli meat. 12 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria were reported from Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York. All 12 people were hospitalized. One death was reported from Florida. WGS showed that bacteria isolated from ill people were closely related genetically, indicating that people in this outbreak probably share a common infection source. In interviews with 11 ill people, all reported eating Italian-style meats, such as salami, mortadella, and prosciutto. They reported purchasing prepackaged deli meats and meats sliced at deli counters at various locations. A specific type of deli meat or a common supplier was not identified. As of January 28, 2021, this outbreak is over. @ https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeat-10-20/index.html

The CDC announced that several public health regulators and state officials are attempting to identify the food source of a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. As of February 1, 2021, a total of 16 people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from 5 states (Arkansas (6), New York (1), Oklahoma (5), Virginia (2), and Washington (2)). Of 12 people with information available, 9 have been hospitalized. Of 11 people with information, 3 developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). One death has been reported from Washington. WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically, which means that people in this outbreak likely got sick from eating the same food. WGS also showed that this outbreak strain had been previously linked to various sources, including romaine lettuce, ground beef, and recreational water.  @ https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2021/o157h7-02-21/details.html