412 asymptomatic workers at western Missouri food plant test positive for coronavirus
More than 400 workers at a St. Joseph food plant have tested positive for the new coronavirus despite showing no symptoms, health officials said Tuesday.
Comprehensive testing of employees and contract workers at Triumph Foods in St. Joseph found 412 of 2,367 people had COVID-19 with no symptoms, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
That figure was up from 359 employees who received positive test results Saturday. The number had been reported at 295 Friday.
The workers were tested on site from April 27 to Friday.
Before testing of asymptomatic employees began, 46 symptomatic workers tested positive for the virus.
In a statement to The Star, Triumph Foods said the results were not unexpected considering the contagious nature of COVID-19.
“The test results are a snapshot in time and provide our organization and each individual employee with information to protect employees, families and the community,” the statement said last week.
As of Tuesday, more than 8,900 Missourians had tested positive for the virus and 377 had died. A total of 94,904 have been tested.
The Kansas City area saw its sharpest rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases on Monday.
With 123 cases additional cases, the area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has recorded 2,507 cases.
