Outbreak at Iowa Pork Plant Was Larger Than State Reported

Outbreak at Iowa Pork Plant Was Larger Than State Reported
The Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa on April 16, 2020. Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette via AP, File
The Associated Press
Updated:

IOWA CITY, Iowa—The first confirmed coronavirus outbreak at an Iowa meatpacking plant was far more severe than previously known, with more than twice as many workers becoming infected than the state Department of Public Health told the public, newly released records show.

The department announced at a May 5 news conference that 221 employees at the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Columbus Junction had tested positive for COVID-19.