Kansas report details virus outbreaks in the state; prison, meatpacking plant largest single sources

photo by: AP File Photo

This Feb. 2, 2017 file photo, shows the exterior of the Lansing Correctional Center in Lansing, Kan. (Mark Rountree/The Leavenworth Times via AP, File)

TOPEKA — The Lansing Correctional Facility is the largest single source of Kansas’ 10,393 coronavirus cases, followed by a Tyson Foods meatpacking plant near Garden City, according to a report by state health officials.

The Kansas City Star obtained the Kansas public health report on the outbreak from Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation, which has been gathering government documents related to the coronavirus from around the country. The confidential report from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment lists details of every outbreak in the state as of May 19.

The Lansing prison is linked to at least 846 cases of the virus and six deaths. The Tyson plant had 571 virus cases and one death, according to the report. Several other meatpacking plants in the state also had sizable coronavirus outbreaks.

State officials provided the report to county health departments and left it up to local officials to decide whether to release details of outbreaks in their areas. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman acknowledged that some states routinely release details of outbreaks.

“You could argue that that’s a good idea as well because you may not be able to … contact trace everyone,” Norman said. “So an argument could be made both ways. We prefer to let that go to the county.”

The confined conditions at the Lansing prison made it easy for the virus to spread among inmates, but state health officials have said the facility has made significant progress at containing the coronavirus.

“What we’re seeing … is the good result from cohorting inmates away from those that aren’t (positive),” Norman told reporters last week.

Meatpacking plants in Kansas have been linked to at least 2,767 cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths. The report says those cases include the Tyson plant near Garden City in Finney County, 503 cases at a National Beef plant in Ford County, 342 cases at a Cargill facility in Ford County and 317 cases at a National beef plant in Seward County

Before the state report was released, local officials were reluctant to release details of the outbreaks at meatpacking plants.

“We have not been publicly reporting on private business or private business COVID-19 status,” Ford County administrator Jonathan Gilbert wrote in an email. “Ford County is a relatively small community and commenting on any cases/number of cases related to a private business can allow for the identification of individual COVID-19 status and we want to avoid that.”

Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston said the company’s Kansas facilities are “operating near capacity” but would not provide an update on the number of cases currently associated with the plants.

She said Tyson has implemented a number of safety measures, including employee temperature checks before each shift, providing mandatory face masks, and putting physical barriers between workstations and in break rooms.

National Beef spokesman Keith Welty declined to comment on details of safety measures the company has taken at its plants and did not respond to questions about the level of production at each facility.

“Our focus throughout this COVID-19 situation has been to take the necessary steps to protect the health, wellness and safety of our employees while operating our processing plants producing high quality products to meet the demand of our customers across the United States,” Welty wrote in an email.

Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan said the facility is currently operating at about 80% capacity. He said Cargill has implemented temperature checks, installed protective barriers at the plant and has been providing masks to workers. The company is also giving employees up to 80 hours of paid leave for absences related to COVID-19

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.

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