Those taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously frequently warn that official reports of positive tests do not reflect the actual incidence of infection in the population. Due to the lack of official preparation and scarcity of tests, it has been extremely difficult for even symptomatic people to get tested, while Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports have consistently shown that many people in other areas have tested positive while showing no symptoms at all.
Testing of people with no symptoms is now underway in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said that it rolled out its pilot program in Buchanan County, testing all employees at Triumph Foods in St. Joseph.
Of 707 employees with no symptoms who were first tested in the state’s expanded program, 92 tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, DHSS reported on Thursday, April 30. That means 13% of the people who showed no symptoms were infected and could infect others.
Another 34 of the plant’s employees had received positive results prior to the state’s expanded testing.
In a subsequent update, DHSS reported that 373 employees and contract workers of Triumph Foods with no related symptoms had tested positive results for COVID-19. Though the state did not provide an updated number of people tested, it did say the percentage of people testing positive with no symptoms had moved to 15%.
Employees with positive results are being notified by the City of St. Joseph Health Department, DHSS stated. Those with positive results will be told to isolate, and public health professionals will assist these patients with notifications of those determined to be close contacts.
Triumph Foods is making notifications to those who have tested negative.
“It is very important that patients with positive results follow the isolation guidance they are given,” stated Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS. “Those with pending or negative results may continue to work while maintaining infection control measures we have recommended both at work and at home.”
Per CDC guidance, those who did not have COVID-19 symptoms but tested positive and are self-isolating can leave quarantine when at least seven days have passed since the date of the first positive test and they continue to have no symptoms since the test. For three additional days, this group of people should continue to limit contact and wear a face covering for their nose and mouth when other people are present, DHSS stated.
At the request of the City of St. Joseph Health Department, the state is sending staff support to assist with contact tracing efforts – that is, identifying and contacting people who may have been exposed to the virus by someone who tested positive. More testing is to be expected as close contacts of COVID-19 patients are notified.
Buchanan County is 88.5% white, according to the U.S. Census, though not all of the employees tested live in the county where they work. According to the state’s own data, 39% of the COVID-19 deaths and 31% of the cases in the state were black people, while only 11.8% of the state’s population is black. That means the disparate impact of COVID-19 on blacks in Missouri is 3:1.
The St. Louis American asked a DHSS spokesperson why the pilot program was not introduced in a part of the state where COVID-19 is having greater impact.
“We are taking this approach in multiple places and facility types (where people live or work in a congregate setting) throughout the state,” a DHSS spokesperson replied. “We have done this in long-term care facilities, prisons and other food plants as well. Food plants are an important part of the food supply and workers are both essential and vulnerable to this virus.”
The DHSS spokesperson was asked for more details about those other testing locations, the criteria for choosing test sites, and an explanation for why the disparate impact of COVID-19 on blacks was or was not being taken into consideration. A reply will be reported when received.
Triumph Foods is a pork producer that processes in excess of 6 million hogs each year.
Visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus or the DHSS website at www.health.mo.gov/coronavirus for more information or to ask questions using the state site’s COVID-19 interactive chatbot. A statewide COVID-19 hotline is also available at 877-435-8411.
