COVID-19 Outbreaks Linked to Workplaces, 23 US Jurisdictions, August-October 2021

Details

• Personal Author:
  Luckhaupt, Sara E. ; Horter, Libby ; Groenewold, Matthew R. ; de Perio, Marie A. ; Robbins, Cheryl L. ; Haring Sweeney, Marie ; Thomas, Isabel ; Valencia, Diana ; Ingram, Amanda ; Heinzerling, Amy ; Nguyen, Alyssa ; Townsend, Emily B. ; Weber, Rachel C. ; Reichbind, Diana ; Dishman, Hope ; Kerins, Janna L. ; Lendacki, Frances R. ; Austin, Connie ; Dixon, Liana ; Spillman, Brooke ; Simonson, Sean ; Tonzel, Julius ; Krueger, Anna ; Duwell, Monique ; Bachaus, Brian ; Rust, Britney ; Barrett, Colleen ; Morrison, Brooke ; Owers Bonner, Katharine A. ; Karlsson, Nicole D. ; Angelon-Gaetz, Kim ; McClure, Elizabeth S. ; Kline, Kelly E. ; Dangar, Dhara ; Reed, Chansey ; Karpowicz, Jacqueline ; Anderson, Shoana M. ; Cantor, Sophia ; Chaudhary, Ifrah ; Ellis, Esther M. ; Taylor, Marissa L. ; Sedon, Allison ; Kocharian, Anna ; Morris, Collin ; Samson, Marsha E. ; Mangla, Anil T.
• Description:
  Objectives: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, several outbreaks were linked with facilities employing essential workers, such as long-term care facilities and meat and poultry processing facilities. However, timely national data on which workplace settings were experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks were unavailable through routine surveillance systems. We estimated the number of US workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 and identified the types of workplace settings in which they occurred during August-October 2021. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data from health departments on workplace COVID-19 outbreaks from August through October 2021: the number of workplace outbreaks, by workplace setting, and the total number of cases among workers linked to these outbreaks. Health departments also reported the number of workplaces they assisted for outbreak response, COVID-19 testing, vaccine distribution, or consultation on mitigation strategies. Results: Twenty-three health departments reported a total of 12 660 workplace COVID-19 outbreaks. Among the 12 470 workplace types that were documented, 35.9% (n = 4474) of outbreaks occurred in health care settings, 33.4% (n = 4170) in educational settings, and 30.7% (n = 3826) in other work settings, including non-food manufacturing, correctional facilities, social services, retail trade, and food and beverage stores. Eleven health departments that reported 3859 workplace outbreaks provided information about workplace assistance: 3090 (80.1%) instances of assistance involved consultation on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, 1912 (49.5%) involved outbreak response, 436 (11.3%) involved COVID-19 testing, and 185 (4.8%) involved COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Conclusions: These findings underscore the continued impact of COVID-19 among workers, the potential for work-related transmission, and the need to apply layered prevention strategies recommended by public health officials. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Correctional Facilities Food Handling Food Industry Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Public Health Safety Virus Diseases Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 Correctional Facilities COVID-19 Disease Outbreaks Food Services Health Care Facilities Manufacturing Meat Packing Industry Medical Facilities Poultry Industry Public Health Retail Workers Surveillance Vaccines Work Environment Workers Workplace

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• ISSN:
  0033-3549
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; California ; Colorado ; Connecticut ; Georgia ; Illinois ; Kentucky ; Maine ; Maryland ; Mississippi ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Tennessee ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering ; OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  8 pdf pages
• Volume:
  138
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066662
• Citation:
  Public Health Rep 2023 Mar/Apr; 138(2):333-340
• Contact Point Address:
  Sara E. Luckhaupt, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 Response Team, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS R-12, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  pks8@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150701
• Source Full Name:
  Public Health Reports
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1c929864920e23a1d4301fac5f68d683d931f25a365ba5c0137d406259757630d4731a45990c785377463d40e27cb85fc5ef1095189a65f58b95f4f3c1e1bc52
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230724/cdc_230724_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 387.73 KB ]