An employee of pork processor Seaboard Triumph Foods in Sioux City, Iowa, has died from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and there have been at least 11 positive tests from other workers at the facility, according to reports.
A Seaboard facility in Guymon, Oklahoma, reportedly has more than 100 positive cases and another in St. Joseph, Missouri, has seen more than 350 cases. All of the cases at the Missouri facility were asymptomatic, according to a report.
The president of the Islamic Center of Siouxland in Sioux City, Nebraska, Ahmad Mohammad, told media outlets that 56-year-old Husain Jair, a Seaboard employee, died May 1 of COVID-19, after being ill for about a week.
The Seaboard Triumph Foods plant in Sioux City, Iowa, is jointly owned and operated by Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods.
116 positive cases at Oklahoma plant
At the Seaboard Foods processing plant in Guymon, Oklahoma, there have been more than 100 COVID-19-positive cases reported to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The facility employs more than 2,700 people.
As of May 4, the company reports 147 of its employees have tested positive since testing began in March. Fifteen of those people have recovered and been released by their doctor or the local health department, a Seaboard spokesperson said.
Testing at Missouri location
The St. Joseph, Missouri, plant, which is owned and operated by Triumph Foods, saw 373 positive cases among workers as of May 4, according to CNN. All of these cases were asymptomatic, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Testing of workers at the facility has been ongoing for the past two weeks, and approximately 1,500 employees were tested.
“The testing results will be critical to helping us understand where the coronavirus is in our facility and our communities,” said Triumph Foods CEO Mark Campbell, in a video posted on the company’s website on May 3. “While individuals tested during this initiative did not show COVID-19 symptoms, lab results received thus far indicate that around 17% tested positive for the virus. Of all positive test results received thus far, over 90% have been collected from asymptomatic people.”
All three of the plants remain open. In an email, a company spokesperson said employees who don't feel well are asked to stay home, contact their health care provider and get tested.
"We continually reinforce the importance of self-isolation and testing through the local health departments, and we have actively encouraged our employees to get tested if they are feeling ill," the spokesperson said. "As in other places that have embraced testing, we believe this will likely result in more positive tests, but we feel it is the best way to protect our workers and our community. If anyone shows symptoms or a fever at our plant, they will be sent home."
The company's COVID-19 Leave Policy and Support Plan includes paid leave, additional health insurance coverage and prescription coverage flexibility.
The company said the following practices have been put into place at its facilities: social distancing, face mask requirements, mandatory hand sanitizing and temperature checks before entering the plant.
"As we adapt our practices to address the challenges created by COVID-19, our expectations are that every employee follows the requirements and guidelines at all times to help protect each other," the spokesperson said.
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