Coronavirus cases at Mid-Mo hog farm

(MissouriNet) — Thirteen hog farm employees in Audrain County have tested positive for the coronavirus. State Health Director Randall Williams says the cases impact the overall food chain. Some Missouri meat processing plants have closed or reduced their output due to coronavirus outbreaks, including in Moniteau and Saline Counties.

(as said) “We think we have to get into our about 15 food processing plants going forward and doing sentinel testing and repeat testing and just very quickly try to identify cases there before they multiple into the 13 cases you’re seeing at this hog farm and obviously the 400 plus cases you saw up at Triumph in Buchanan,” says Williams.

Williams says the high case ratios in rural Missouri counties are closely connected to food processors – a trend he says is also happening nationally. Saline County has 253 coronavirus cases.