Tyson Foods says it will vaccinate 'thousands' of its Iowa meatpacking workers this week

[SharonClark]

It's about time these workers were protected. Thank you Joe Biden for taking COVID seriously.

Tyson Foods announced Monday that it will vaccinate "thousands" of its employees at Iowa plants this week.

The company said in a news release that a business partner and local health organizations will hold on-site COVID-19 vaccinations at meatpacking plants in Columbus Junction, Council Bluffs, Independence, Perry, Sioux City, Storm Lake and Waterloo.

Many of those plants, where a combined 13,000 employees work, were sites of early coronavirus outbreaks. Tyson Foods partnered with Matrix Medical to administer the vaccine to workers.

“We’re pleased to offer our team members convenient access to the vaccine, and we appreciate the state of Iowa recognizing the essential role they play in feeding the world," Tom Brower, senior vice president of health and safety at Tyson Foods, said in a statement Monday.
. . .

more at source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2021/03/01/tyson-foods-vaccinate-thousands-iowa-employees-week-covid-outbreak-matrix-medical-workers/6867363002/

[USALiberal]

1. so all over 65 in Iowa have their vaccine? Nursing homes? nt

[mnhtnbb]

5. Each state develops its own vaccination plan

which is why some states have lowered the eligibility age to 65 and other states have it set higher.

This is an excerpt from the Iowa Department of Public Health Strategy:

IDPH intends to follow federal guidance for vaccine prioritization unless needs in Iowa are substantially different. The IDPH Medical Director will work with the Infectious Disease Advisory Committee and the IDPH planning team for targeted COVID-19 vaccination guidance. IDPH may issue a Vaccine Shortage Order or other guidance during Phase 1 to ensure that vaccines are administered solely to those in a priority designation and in accordance with the COVID-19 vaccination guidance. Efforts are ongoing to estimate state and county level population size for the following groups. These estimates are being shared with local partners for planning purposes and additional priority groups are added as established and data becomes available:

Critical workforce who provide health care and have direct or indirect exposure to patients in such settings as hospitals and long term care facilities (LTC)

Non-healthcare worker critical workforce such as agriculture and food processing as well as other key critical infrastructure

People at high risk for COVID-19 illness -LTC residents and staff

https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/61/covid19/vaccine/V%202%20IOWA%20COVID-19%20VACCINATION%20STRATEGY%2012_4_20_FINAL.pdf

[Hekate]

2. I am enormously glad to hear this...

It falls into the category of “it is about fcking time,” as well as, “if ever a group of workers needed a union, meat packers are it.”

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. The workers at the Perry and Waterloo plants are union.

[Hekate]

4. Good to know

[deminks]

6. Glad this is happening

but this is the company that had to fire some managers for setting up a betting pool on which workers would get sick at their Waterloo plant.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/16/business/tyson-betting-managers-fired/index.html

They better be pulling their heads out of their asses and helping these workers.