Combined Infection Control Interventions Protect Essential Food Workers from Occupational Exposures to SARS-CoV-2 in...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Essential food workers have elevated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection risks due to occupational exposures.
• Risks are amplified by shared transportation, housing, and processing environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the daily cumulative risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for produce workers.
• To evaluate the risk reduction from industry interventions and vaccination.

Main Methods:

• Simulated daily SARS-CoV-2 exposures using six quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model scenarios.
• Calculated infectious viral dose across aerosol, droplet, and fomite pathways.
• Modeled industry interventions (distancing, hygiene, masking, ventilation) and mRNA vaccinations.

Main Results:

• Industry interventions reduced indoor worker risk by 98.0% and outdoor worker risk by 94.5% from baseline.
• Combined interventions and vaccination reduced indoor worker risk by 99.9% and outdoor worker risk by 99.6%.
• Vaccine efficacy ranged from 86% to 99%.

Conclusions:

• Consistent implementation of industry interventions and vaccination effectively mitigates SARS-CoV-2 infection risks for produce workers.
• Bundled interventions, especially with vaccination, can reduce daily infection risk below 1% for essential food workers.
• Findings inform targeted mitigation strategies for high-risk scenarios in the food industry.