Nearly half of the employees at a Seneca Foods processing plant in Wisconsin have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Barron County Department of Health and Human Services, according to a FOX 9 report.
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In fact, about 44% of the fruit and vegetable processing company in the city of Cumberland contracted respiratory disease. The first infection that the health department associated with the plant was on July 19th.
Seneca Foods did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment, however, the Wisconsin National Guard reported tests for the potentially deadly virus on July 27 after a “cluster” of cases were reported to Barron County health officials.
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“While this is a major outbreak, it’s not the only thing contributing to the high number of cases in Barron County,” the department’s health officer Laura Sauve said in a statement to Fox News.
Many of the cases in the province are not related to the outbreak at the food plant, she said. In 40 percent of cases, infections can be traced back to travel, meetings and crowded areas and events.
The province has seen a spike in more than 260 new cases in the past month.
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As of Aug. 13, Barron County has a total of 315 cases, including 84 active cases, 228 reimbursements, one hospital admission and three deaths, according to its daily update of COVID-19. More than 6,000 tests returned negative results.
In addition to the Wisconsin National Guard, the Barron County Department of Health has partnered with Family Health La Clinica to provide free trial services to seasonal and senior Seneca Foods employees and their family members as close contacts.
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The state of Wisconsin has more than 63,200 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard. Just over 1,000 of those cases resulted in death, while more than 53,230 recovered.
