COVID-19 Among Workers in the Seafood Processing Industry: Implications for Prevention Measures — Alaska, March–October 2020

Porter, Kimberly A.; Ramaswamy, Maya; Koloski, Thomas; Castrodale, Louisa; McLaughlin, Joseph

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7017a4

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Likewise, our data indicated that travel was one of the drivers behind the continued spread of COVID-19 to TCO. To mitigate its effect and to diagnose infectious people in a timely manner, strict adherence to at least seven days of pre-rotation quarantine have proven to be effective in published studies [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with an Outbreak of COVID-19 in Oilfield Workers, Kazakhstan, 2020

Nabirova

Taubayeva

Maratova

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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From March to May 2020, 1306 oilfield workers in Kazakhstan tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. We conducted a case-control study to assess factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The cases were PCR-positive for SARS-CoV-2 during June–September 2020. Controls lived at the same camp and were randomly selected from the workers who were PCR-negative for SARS-CoV-2. Data was collected telephonically by interviewing the oil workers. The study had 296 cases and 536 controls with 627 (75%) men, and 527 (63%) were below 40 years of age. Individual factors were the main drivers of transmission, with little contribution by environmental factors. Of the twenty individual factors, rare hand sanitizer use, travel before shift work, and social interactions outside of work increased SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Of the twenty-two environmental factors, only working in air-conditioned spaces was associated with SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Communication messages may enhance workers’ individual responsibility and responsibility for the safety of others to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with an Outbreak of COVID-19 in Oilfield Workers, Kazakhstan, 2020

Nabirova

Taubayeva

Maratova

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Alaska and the town of New Bedford, Massachusetts present an interesting comparison to highlight the variety of responses to the pandemic (Panel 1). Previous work, and this paper, have shown the high number of seafood-related COVID-19 cases in Alaska (Porter et al, 2021). Alaska produces 60% of the United States commercial fisheries with 40% of the nation's surface water (Liddel and Yencho, 2021;Resource Development Council, n.d.).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Alaska's seafood processing facilities attract almost 18,000 out-of-state workers every year. According to the state's reportable disease database (Porter et al, 2021), 667 cases of COVID-19 were identified among seafood processing workers. Onehundred and two of those cases were independent, occurring from either quarantine groups in or outside of the facilities, however, the remaining 539 cases were part of outbreaks that spread beyond quarantine groups, both within and outside of the facility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These outbreaks led Alaskan state personnel and CDC field employees to increase COVID-19 restriction measures by mandating reductions in group gatherings to less than 10 individuals. These authorities also noted that "safe" transfer of crews midseason was an inadequate measure for preventing the spread of the virus, as there was an outbreak during the transfer of a crew from one processing facility to another (Porter et al, 2021). Entry testing and quarantining were found to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 from processing plants and vessels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Direct and Indirect Effects of a Global Pandemic on US Fishers and Seafood Workers

White

2021

Preprint

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The United States’ seafood industry experienced major shifts in consumer demand and COVID-19 social-distancing restrictions starting in March 2020, when the early stages of the pandemic were unfolding. However, the specific effects on workers across seafood value chains are less well known. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), fishers and seafood workers face an increased risk of workplace exposure to COVID-19 given the close proximity to others in processing facilities and on fishing vessels, long work hours, and communal housing, living, and transportation arrangements associated with seasonal employment. To explore this hypothesis, and given a lack of data on the sector, we reviewed news articles, scientific articles, and white papers to identify the various effects of COVID-19 on US seafood workers and to track COVID-19 cases and outbreaks. Here, we show that most COVID-19 cases among seafood workers were reported during the summer of 2020 and during the beginning of 2021 with outbreaks primarily occurring in seafood processing. COVID-19 cases were documented throughout coastal areas, with Alaska experiencing the largest number of cases and outbreaks. Based on news reports, seafood workers were about twice as likely to contract COVID-19 as workers in other parts of the overall US food system. By examining news articles and scientific literature, we also documented several indirect effects of the pandemic. Social-distancing restrictions limited crew size and number of workers on processing lines, resulting in longer work hours and more physical and mental taxation. Economic consequences of the pandemic were reportedly a primary concern for fishers and aquaculture businesses, including changes in markets, supply, and demand, in addition to revenue loss, price fluctuations, supply chain issues, and labor shortages. Fewer outlets interviewed workers in seafood processing; however, concerns about workplace safety, contracting COVID-19, access to medical services, vaccination, and paid sick leave were all noted. We also highlight several inequities in COVID-19 responses within the seafood sector, both along racial and gender lines. Peer-reviewed studies and news coverage all point to diverse direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers across seafood value chains. The summary of these effects can serve as a foundation for future work on infection control and occupational outreach to workers in the seafood sector.

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“…All the SARS-CoV-2 sources can be traced from the outer packages or container samples of the cold chain ( Table 1 ). In some countries with significant COVID-19 transmission rates, such as in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Germany, and Ireland, many production and processing workers in the CCF environment have been infected and have transmitted COVID-19 [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. If there is COVID-19 infection in a certain part of a processing plant among processing personnel, cross-contamination in the CCF supply chain environment may occur, increasing the probability of COVID-19 transmission [ 18 , 19 , 20 ] ( Table S2 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold Chain Food and COVID-19 Transmission Risk: From the Perspective of Consumption and Trade

Zhang

Yang

Zhu

et al. 2022

Foods

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Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), political and academic circles have focused significant attention on stopping the chain of COVID-19 transmission. In particular outbreaks related to cold chain food (CCF) have been reported, and there remains a possibility that CCF can be a carrier. Based on CCF consumption and trade matrix data, here, the “source” of COVID-19 transmission through CCF was analyzed using a complex network analysis method, informing the construction of a risk assessment model reflecting internal and external transmission dynamics. The model included the COVID-19 risk index, CCF consumption level, urbanization level, CCF trade quantity, and others. The risk level of COVID-19 transmission by CCF and the dominant risk types were analyzed at national and global scales as well as at the community level. The results were as follows. (1) The global CCF trade network is typically dominated by six core countries in six main communities, such as Indonesia, Argentina, Ukraine, Netherlands, and the USA. These locations are one of the highest sources of risk for COVID-19 transmission. (2) The risk of COVID-19 transmission by CCF in specific trade communities is higher than the global average, with the Netherlands–Germany community being at the highest level. There are eight European countries (i.e., Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Britain, Italy, and Poland) and three American countries (namely the USA, Mexico, and Brazil) facing a very high level of COVID-19 transmission risk by CCF. (3) Of the countries, 62% are dominated by internal diffusion and 23% by external input risk. The countries with high comprehensive transmission risk mainly experience risks from external inputs. This study provides methods for tracing the source of virus transmission and provides a policy reference for preventing the chain of COVID-19 transmission by CCF and maintaining the security of the global food supply chain.

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COVID-19 Among Workers in the Seafood Processing Industry: Implications for Prevention Measures — Alaska, March–October 2020

Cited by 15 publications

References 1 publication

Factors Associated with an Outbreak of COVID-19 in Oilfield Workers, Kazakhstan, 2020

Factors Associated with an Outbreak of COVID-19 in Oilfield Workers, Kazakhstan, 2020

The Direct and Indirect Effects of a Global Pandemic on US Fishers and Seafood Workers

Cold Chain Food and COVID-19 Transmission Risk: From the Perspective of Consumption and Trade

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