Prognosis
Almost 90% of U.S. Meat Plant Workers With Virus Are Minorities
- Workers identified as Hispanic account for 56% of infections
- Covid effects on minorities “not yet fully understood”: CDC
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The outbreaks at meat-processing plants across America that sickened thousands and led to beef shortages have gotten worse -- and minority workers have been the hardest hit.
More than 16,200 U.S. meat plant workers had tested positive for Covid-19 by the end of May and 86 had died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report Tuesday. That’s up from the 4,900 sick workers and 20 deaths published by the CDC in a report from April. Of the cases that disclosed race and ethnicity, 87% involved minority workers -- with employees identified as Hispanic accounting for 56% of infections despite making up less than a third of the overall workforce.