Feb 05, 2021
New analysis of independent data show that reported new COVID-19 infection rates among meat and poultry workers are 60% lower than in the general U.S. population and two-thirds lower than case rates in the sector in May 2020.
According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), the meat and poultry sector was reported to have an average of 32.64 new reported cases per 100,000 workers per day in January 2021, two-thirds lower than the average of 98.39 new reported cases per 100,000 workers per day in May 2020.
The
New York Times reported that in January 2021, the average new case rate for the U.S. population climbed to 78.59 cases per 100,000 people per day, more than 11 times higher than the new case rate in May.
Meat-processing plants, where thousands of workers have fallen ill with COVID-19, are facing scrutiny from a U.S. House subcommittee for reportedly failing to follow worker safety laws.
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ New analysis of independent data show that reported new COVID-19 infection rates among meat and poultry workers are 60% lower than in the general U.S. population and two-thirds lower than case rates in the sector in May 2020.
According to data from the
Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), the meat and poultry sector was reported to have an average of 32.64 new reported cases per 100,000 workers per day in January 2021, two-thirds lower than the average of 98.39 new reported cases per 100,000 workers per day in May 2020.
New York Times reports that in January 2021, the average new case rate for the U.S. population climbed to 78.59 cases per 100,000 people per day, more than 11 times higher than the new case rate in May.
Doctors Urge Arkansas Governor to Promote Plant Protein and Repurpose Slaughterhouses
LITTLE ROCK Two billboards that directly address Governor Hutchinson are installed in Little Rock close to the governor’s residence, and they will remain posted until Feb. 7. One billboard is located at 2419 Main St. and it is 0.381 miles from the governor’s mansion. The second billboard, which is illuminated, is at 522 West Third St. near Broadway, and it is 1.06 miles from the residence.
The billboards confront the governor with the message
“Governor Hutchinson: Can Arkansas Switch to a Safer Food Supply Like Chickpeas Over Chickens? PromotePlantProtein.org!” The billboards are sponsored by the Physicians Committee a national nonprofit of 12,000 doctors, including 52 physicians in Arkansas with Christie Mitchell Cobb, MD, the Little Rock spokesperson. Featuring an image of a farmer, the billboards are about 10 feet tall and 22 feet wide.
Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images
A House subcommittee has launched an investigation into how major meat processors and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded to coronavirus outbreaks and deaths in meatpacking facilities, a source of rapid transmission of the virus during the early months of the pandemic.
Rep. James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina and chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, announced the probe on February 1 and sent letters to OSHA the Department of Labor agency meant to ensure safe and healthy working conditions as well as Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, and JBS USA, three of the country’s largest meatpacking companies.