Study connects livestock plants to up to 8% of COVID-19 cases
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The meatpacking and poultry processing industries may be responsible for as much as 8% of total COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to research published Thursday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the article “Livestock Plants and COVID-19 Transmission,” researchers from Columbia University and the University of Chicago estimated that livestock plants were associated with 236,000 to 310,000 COVID-19 cases and 4,300 to 5,200 deaths as of July 21 due to widespread infection rates that then led to community transmission.
The study found that work in livestock processing plants makes workers more susceptible to respiratory outbreaks due to long work shifts in close proximity to co-workers, the challenge of proper face covering due to physical demands of the job and shared transportation among co-workers.
In addition, the low temperature and low humidity of facilities necessary to preserve meat also contribute to the transmission of airborne viruses, the researchers found, and the socioeconomic status of laborers makes them more likely to work while sick.
Plant size also appeared to have an impact on coronavirus spread, with larger plants associated with the highest percentage of transmission, while small and medium-sized plants did not have significant relationships to community spread of the virus. Temporary closures of high-risk plants also led to lower rates of COVID-19 case growth compared with plants that remained open, the study found.
The researchers said their findings underscore the need to address “the underlying factors that produced this systemic risk in the first place” to strengthen the U.S. food system during the current pandemic and during future disruptions.
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