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Multifaceted Public Health Response to a COVID-19 Outbreak Among Meat-Processing Workers, Utah, March-June 2020
Tia M Rogers1, Susan J Robinson, Laura E Reynolds
1COVID-19 Response Team (Drs Rogers, Robinson, Ladva, Burgos-Garay, Whiteman, and Boyd and Ms Reynolds) and Epidemic Intelligence Service (Drs Rogers and Ladva), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia; United States Public Health Service, Washington, District of Columbia (Drs Rogers and Boyd and Ms Reynolds); and Bear River Health Department, Logan, Utah (Mss Budge, Soto, Thompson, and Hunt and Mr Barson).
Objective:
To identify potential strategies to mitigate COVID-19 transmission in a Utah meat-processing facility and surrounding community.
Design/Setting:
During March-June 2020, 502 workers at a Utah meat-processing facility (facility A) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Using merged data from the state disease surveillance system and facility A, we analyzed the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 positivity and worker demographics, work section, and geospatial data on worker residence. We analyzed worker survey responses to questions regarding COVID-19 knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors at work and home.
Participants:
(1) Facility A workers (n = 1373) with specimen collection dates and SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test results; (2) residential addresses of all persons (workers and nonworkers) with a SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test (n = 1036), living within the 3 counties included in the health department catchment area; and (3) facility A workers (n = 64) who agreed to participate in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey.
Main Outcome Measures:
New cases over time, COVID-19 attack rates, worker characteristics by SARS-CoV-2 test results, geospatially clustered cases, space-time proximity of cases among workers and nonworkers; frequency of quantitative responses, crude prevalence ratios, and counts and frequency of coded responses to open-ended questions from the COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey.
Results:
Statistically significant differences in race (P = .01), linguistic group (P < .001), and work section (P < .001) were found between workers with positive and negative SARS-CoV-2 test results. Geographically, only 6% of cases were within statistically significant spatiotemporal case clusters. Workers reported using handwashing (57%) and social distancing (21%) as mitigation strategies outside work but reported apprehension with taking COVID-19-associated sick leave.
Conclusions:
Mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks among workers in congregate settings requires a multifaceted public health response that is tailored to the workforce.
Implications For Policy And Practice:
Tailored, multifaceted mitigation strategies are crucial for reducing COVID-19-associated health disparities among disproportionately affected populations.
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