Covid-19: 326 members tested positive at Tyson Foods facility in Texas

US-based meat producer Tyson Foods has reported that 326 team members at its case-ready beef and pork facility in Sherman, Texas, were tested positive for Covid-19.

The company said it carried out tests on 1,604 team members working at the facility.

Tyson Foods health and safety senior vice-president Tom Brower said: “We’re committed to making sure our team members are safe, healthy and protected and we value the collaboration provided by the Texas Division of Emergency Management to complement our existing prevention efforts.

“Our team members deserve to feel safe and secure when they come to work, and we are supporting them with the most up-to-date information and resources to take care of their health.”

The meat producer said that out of 326 team members, 211 individuals were tested by the Texas Division of Emergency Management with the National Guard on-site on 13 and 14 of last month.

The other 115 members were tested positive through their own healthcare providers.

Tyson Foods said that all the team members who test positive will receive paid leave and can resume their duties after meeting the guidelines set by the CDC and Tyson.

Tyson Foods Sherman facility general manager Bill McKeeman said: “We are proud of our team members and we continue to take protective measures to ensure that their health and safety is our first priority.

“Disclosing our testing results is an important step in protecting our team members and helping provide the wider Sherman community with the information it needs to control the spread of the virus.”

Going further, the company intends to disclose the results at other plants to health and government officials, team members and stakeholders.

Last month, Tyson Foods reported that 570 individuals were tested positive for Covid-19 at its poultry facility in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

The results were based on the tests conducted on 2,244 team members and contractors who work at the facility.