April 29, 2021

COVID-19 Among Workers in the Seafood Processing Industry: Implications for Prevention Measures — Alaska, March–October 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Keywords (Tags): congregate settings, non-pharm interventions, transmission

• A review of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in the Alaska fishing industry found that entry quarantine and testing might have reduced introduction of the virus to seafood processing facilities and vessels. A CDC field review found that among 132 non-outbreak associated cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in seafood processing industry workers in Alaska from March to October 2020, 81 (61%) occurred during entry quarantine at an onshore facility. 72 (89%) of these cases were part of 12 clusters comprising up to 23 cases (median=3 cases).
• Of the 13 distinct outbreaks identified in onshore facilities or vessels, 6 outbreaks (median = 6 cases) appeared to have originated in an entry quarantine group and then spread, causing an additional 69 cases. The other 7 outbreaks of unknown origin were responsible for 470 other cases. As a result of these outbreaks, Alaskan officials revised requirements for risk mitigation in the fishing industry in November 2020, including restricting quarantine groups to ≤10 persons.

Porter et al. (Apr 30, 2021). COVID-19 Among Workers in the Seafood Processing Industry: Implications for Prevention Measures — Alaska, March–October 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7017a4