Counties: Cargill not virus hot spot

Parmer County’s per-capita rate for COVID-19 cases is well above Texas’ state average. But county officials are not tying those cases to the Cargill meat-processing plant near Friona.

“I can’t tell you how many total cases have come out of Cargill,” Parmer County Judge Trey Ellis said on Tuesday. “I just know that out of the 21 I’ve been told about (in Parmer County), there’s only two out of Cargill.”

Ellis said one confirmed case of the virus has been reported in Farwell, five have come out of Bovina and the rest are in the Friona area. Family ties, and not workplaces, appear to be the only connection to the patients, Ellis said.

Cargill officials have declined to say how many COVID-19 cases have been confirmed among its 2,000 employees. In addition to the two in Parmer County, Ellis said he knows of one positive case from a Cargill employee who lives in Plainview. Bailey County reported a Muleshoe-area resident with Cargill ties was confirmed positive on Friday.

“Due to privacy laws, we cannot share further details,” Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan wrote in an email.

“I can confirm that we have had employees test positive at our Friona facility … The employees are receiving appropriate medical care. They are a valued member of our team, and we offer them our support at this difficult time.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has identified meat-packing plants as one of the state’s greatest concerns in the fight against COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control reported early this month that COVID-19 cases have been reported in 115 meat and poultry processing facilities across 19 states. Almost 5,000 cases had been confirmed among employees and 20 deaths had occurred as of May 1.

Cargill attracts workers from throughout the region, especially from Parmer, Deaf Smith and Bailey counties in Texas, and from the Clovis-Portales area as well.

While Clovis-Portales and Bailey County are well below the state and national average in COVID-19 cases per capita, Parmer and Deaf Smith counties have high numbers.

Deaf Smith County Judge D.J. Wagner said fewer than five residents who’ve tested positive for coronavirus in his county are employed by Cargill. About 25 percent of Deaf Smith’s COVID-19 cases have come from the community’s nursing home, he said.

Data collected by The New York Times shows Texas averages 138 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. Parmer County’s per-capita rate was 198, while Deaf Smith’s was 318 as of Monday.

Parmer Medical Center in Friona reported on its Facebook page Tuesday that it has tested 57 people for COVID 19 with 12 positive tests and 11 pending.

Gayla Quillin, the Friona hospital administrator, did not return a phone call or respond to questions about coronavirus in the county. Drew Dostal, the Clovis hospital administrator, said he could not comment on whether any COVID-19 cases have come from Cargill employees.

Ellis said he knows of two Parmer County residents who have been hospitalized with COVID-19. One has recovered and been released; the condition of the one hospitalized today is “not serious,” he said.

Ellis said he and other local officials have toured Cargill and been impressed with measures the company is taking to ensure workers are safe.

“Cargill is probably the safest place to be in Parmer County or anywhere around,” Ellis said. “Those guys have spent a lot of money (to protect workers).

“They screen people when they come in, even the truck drivers. Our plant started implementing (safety measures) in February. They have screens between every work station and in the cafeteria.”

State health officials on Tuesday did not respond to questions about the number of positive COVID-19 tests at Friona’s Cargill plant.