From the ProMED Digest, Vol 95, Issue 72:
Date: Wed 20 May 2020
Source: The Courier [edited]
The Courier
Health authorities are investigating 2 separate COVID-19 outbreaks at Ohio food plants, including Hearthside Food Solutions in McComb.
The Ohio Capital Journal cited a Tuesday [19 May 2020] morning health alert regarding the Hancock County food plant that manufactures brand-name cookies and crackers.
Hancock Public Health declined to provide the Ohio Capital Journal any information regarding the scale and timing of the outbreak.
“We are currently working with the company to prevent further spread in the community,” Chad Masters, director of health promotion and planning for HCPH, told the news outlet.
The Clark County Combined Health District has identified 20 cases of
COVID-19 associated with Dole Food Company’s Springfield salad plant, a department spokeswoman told the Ohio Capital Journal Tuesday [19 May 2020]. Of the 20, 12 are Dole employees and 8 are contacts of employees. The 1st case was detected on 22 Apr [2020].Nationally, the food industry has proven especially vulnerable to the virus’s spread, according to a database from the Food and Environment Reporting Network, updated 19 May [2020]. At least 16 485 workers (14
839 meatpackers, 1074 food processors, and 572 farmers) have tested positive. At least 66 have died.