TAR HEEL — Nearly 1,100 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed at 22 meat-processing plants in North Carolina, including Smithfield Foods here.
The Department of Health and Human Services, responding to questions from the Bladen Journal, said on Thursday morning there are 1,088 cases involving worker at the plants. In addition to Bladen County, the plants are also in Bertie, Burke, Chatham, Duplin, Lee, Lenoir, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Surry, Union, Wilkes and Wilson counties.
Cases have more than doubled in a week’s time. On Tuesday of last week, there were 479 cases. By Monday there were 834.
Asked for the number of deaths and cases for workers at specific plants, a DHHS spokeswoman referred to its county map that shows cases and deaths for an entire county regardless of occupation. A published report Wednesday, citing information from six county health departments, said 76 workers had been infected at the Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel.
Nationally, there are more than 5,000 cases reported at 115 plants with at least 20 deaths.
Companies have also been reluctant to say how many of their workers are infected. The state defines an outbreak as two or more cases. The virus is not foodborne.
There have been no known reports of recoveries or deaths. It is not known if the spike in Bladen’s case count is tied to the Smithfield plant; the county had just one case before April 18 and 45 through Thursday morning. One of those 45 has died.
The plant on N.C. 87 is the world’s largest pork production facility, employing between 4,400 and 5,000 workers and capable of processing between 30,000 and 35,000 hogs a day.
DHHS’s first report April 21 also named Robeson, Duplin, Lee and Chatham counties as home to plants with outbreaks. The state, in a release, said food “processing plants report that they are doing temperature and symptom checks, encouraging sick employees to stay home and implementing paid sick leave for those with COVID-19 or suspected of having COVID-19. They are also providing personal protective equipment and employing social distancing policies where possible.”
Smithfield and other companies have been working to keep production going. President Donald Trump on April 28 declared meat processing plants “critical infrastructure,” compelling them to remain open and thereby hopefully reduce the risk of shortages.
That same day, DHHS said there were 13 outbreaks in 11 counties, totaling 479 cases. Two days later, DHHS upped its totals to include 15 outbreaks, 11 counties, and 604 cases. Another 200 had been added by Monday.
Last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 4,900 workers at meat and poultry processing facilities have been diagnosed with COVID-19, including 20 who have died. The CDC said its findings were from 115 plants in 19 states that employ about 130,000 workers. With some states not providing data, the numbers are believed to be less than actual.
Seven plants in North Carolina are known, according to print and broadcast reports.
In addition to the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, cases have been confirmed at Clinton’s Smithfield Foods plant in Sampson County, Lumber Bridge’s Mountaire Farms plant in Robeson County, Siler City’s Mountaire Farms plant in Chatham County, Mount Olive’s Butterball plant in Duplin County, Sanford’s Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Lee County, and Lewiston Woodville’s Perdue Farms plant in Bertie County.
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