A leading health expert has called for a detailed examination of why there are ongoing outbreaks of Covid-19 in meat factories and other food processing plants.
Professor Paddy Mallon has suggested a more holistic approach was required to examine the pattern of infection at such locations as companies appeared to have taken precautions to prevent such outbreaks.
It follows the revelation that 226 cases have been identified in the three counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly in the past 14 days – almost half the national total recorded over the period – with many cases linked to food processing plants in the region. A further 60 provisional cases are expected to be confirmed later on Friday.
In a statement on Thursday night, a spokeswoman for O’Brien’s Fine Foods in Timahoe, Co Kildare confirmed that 80 of its employees had tested positive for the virus and testing continues on dozens more.
Prof Mallon, a professor of microbial diseases in the UCD School of Medicine and consultant in infectious diseases at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, said the recent trend was a repeat of episodes which had been witnessed since the end of lockdown with one particular sector of the workforce, namely meat plants, being disproportionately affected.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sarah McInerney programme, Prof Mallon said: “I think there needs to be a very critical look at why this is happening”.
He acknowledged that outbreaks were still occurring despite the fact that food companies appeared to be taking a range of measures to reduce the spread of infection on their premises.
Prof Mallon said there probably needed to be a recognition that what was happening went beyond the workplace and required looking at the living conditions of workers, the transport they used and societal conditions.
“That means that people are sometimes afraid to acknowledge symptoms or they’re afraid they may lose employment or lose income because they have to take time off work sick,” he observed.
Prof Mallon added “We need to look at this holistically because there’s something in this sector that just isn’t working. It probably lies simply beyond the workplace and we’ll probably need a more societal and whole of government approach.”
Based on the recent increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases, he said the situation was at “a critical point”.
However, he sought to reassure the public by highlighting how the high rates of detection of coronavirus infections demonstrated the HSE’s contract tracing system was working.
“These outbreaks can be controlled but it needs a combination of the HSE’s efforts which are there but we also need the continued buy-in from the public and that’s around the basics,” Prof Mallon said.
He urged individuals to continue to practice good hand hygiene, wear face masks in confined spaces and observe physical distancing.
Prof Mallon particularly advised people to get tested if they thought they might be infected or showed any symptom of the virus.
He said the number of people who were testing positive for Covid-19 without showing any symptoms was notable from the recent figures.
Prof Mallon said it demonstrated the need for people to get tested as those without symptoms were just as infectious as those with clear signs of the virus.
“The key is picking up people with little or no symptoms. Finding that they have the virus and isolating them is the key to really controlling this epidemic and stopping spreading and widespread community transmission which is the big concern,” he observed.
Asked about elderly and vulnerable individuals living in Kildare, Laois and Offaly, Prof Mallon advised them to take extra care but said it did not necessarily mean that they should return to cocooning.
He recommended that they should stay out of environments which they felt were unsafe.
Prof Mallon said he believed the risk of being infected by plastic packaging containing goods from the affected food plants was “very low”.
He claimed the reintroduction of a lockdown in the three counties could be avoided if community transmission of the virus could be contained but accepted the situation was “on a real knife’s edge”.
“If the public don’t buy into Ronan Glynn (the acting chief medical officer) and his colleagues in terms of just being extra vigilant then we may lose control,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Irish College of General Practitioners has said the Government needed to ensure that anyone who has to stop work because of coronavirus will still be paid,
Covid-19 lead at the group, Dr Nuala O’Connor, also said only rapid identification of contacts and testing can contain the spread of the virus.
Not gone away
Asymptomatic cases were of particular concern, she told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, with people “going about” when they did not know if they had the virus. Even when tested and there was a negative result, they should continue to isolate themselves for 14 days, she said. Day Zero testing and Day Seven testing was very important and people needed to stay out of work, she added.
Dr O’Connor urged people with even mild symptoms to telephone their GP who could then refer them for a test. Symptoms included shortness of breath, a cough, loss of sense of taste or smell.
“This is a walk-up call for all of us – there are cases in 20 counties, the virus is still out there, if you have symptoms take yourself out of circulation and contact your GP.
“Covid-19 has not gone away. We all need to be vigilant.”
A trade union official has said it is time for the Government to “get real” and introduce mandatory testing for meat industry workers.
The meat industry sector offered “a perfect storm” for the transmission of Covid-19, Siptu division organiser, Greg Ennis told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland after news emerged of a large outbreak at plants in the Midlands.
Mr Ennis said the union had been warning about this prospect since March and had written to the Department in April warning of the poor working conditions for workers in the meat industry. It had taken almost six months to get Meat Industry Ireland to agree to talks which will take place next week, he added.
Conditions such as working in close proximity, air conditioning and noise pollution, which means workers have to raise their voices which leads to the spread of the virus through droplets, all contribute to “the perfect storm”, he said.
There was also the social issue with many workers carpooling and sharing accommodation which meant they were at risk “within and out of the workplace.”
The cost of mandatory testing was a matter for the Government and employers to discuss, added Mr Ennis.
“It’s time the Government got real and brought in mandatory testing.” Mr Ennis also called for unannounced inspections of plants.
