Tracking COVID-19 Outbreaks in Michigan’s Food Industry #DetroitFood

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wears a face mask and gloves while making coneys at Lafayette Coney Island in June. | Governor’s Office [Courtesy photo]

Restaurants and bars accounted for roughly 8.2 percent of all reported outbreaks in the state last week

In August, Michigan for the first time began publicly posting its weekly data on COVID-19 outbreaks by setting. This data provides a better picture of what types of locations and activities are driving new and ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in the state and could potentially show how effective policies are at controlling outbreaks impacting industries like restaurants, bars, and agriculture overtime.

The data is updated weekly on Mondays by the state online and Eater is tracking and analyzing the numbers related specifically to outbreaks in the food industry here. Eater is also recording the more detailed numbers across multiple industries and settings including social gatherings, schools, and community care facilities in the Michigan COVID-19 Outbreak Data Tracker.

Outbreaks are defined as locations where two or more cases have been identified “with a link by place and time indicating a shared exposure outside of a household,” according to Lynn Sutfin, a public information officer for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). “These are individuals who have tested positive and were found to have this link of time and space.” The data set includes both ongoing outbreaks, lasting more than the previous two weeks, and new outbreaks, identified within the current reporting week. The data also specifies whether outbreaks occurring in a bar or restaurant involve employee-only transmission or customer and employee transmission.

There are some blind spots to this data. It doesn’t demonstrate the magnitude of those outbreaks — meaning that a single outbreak among workers at a restaurant could represent two employees or 16 employees. That could mean that while the food industry as whole shows fewer outbreaks than other industries or settings, the number of cases associated with the industry could be higher or lower. Local health officials, however, have made efforts to communicate major outbreaks to the public.

As the state website points out, one of the keys to tracking these outbreaks and controlling them is contact tracing — an effort that’s been hobbled in part by a lack of response from the public. In other words, these numbers are likely underreporting the true extent of outbreaks in the state. That’s why it’s vitally important to respond to contact tracers in the state for the safety of yourself and those around you, and to get tested if you are showing symptoms or think you may have come in contact with someone with the virus.

For decoding purposes, region 2S represents the city of Detroit as well as Detroit, Monroe, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, and 2N represents Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties. For more information on regions, visit the state’s coronavirus website and select a preparedness region.

While the overall total number of COVID-19 outbreaks across the state remained steady at 292 from the week of August 20 to the week of August 27, the percentage of outbreaks traced to the food industry increased by about 5.9 percent. Restaurants and bars last week accounted for roughly 8.2 percent of all reported outbreaks and agricultural facilities, food processing, and migrant camps comprised 11.6 percent of all reported outbreaks. Social gatherings and long-term care facilities still make up the majority of new outbreaks identified in the state.

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Week of August 27

Total New in All Settings: 93 | Total Ongoing in All Settings: 199 | Total for All Settings: 292

Bar - Employee Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 3 (1 in region 1)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 3 (1 in region 1 and 2 in region 2S)
• Total: 6

Bar - Employee and Patron Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 0
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 1 (1 in region 3)
• Total: 1

Restaurant - Employee Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 8 (1 in region 1, 2 in region 2N, 2 in region 2S, 1 in region 3, 2 in region 6)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 8 (1 in region 1, 1 in region 2N, 2 in region 2S, 1 in region 3, 1 in region 6, and 2 in region 7)
• Total: 16

Restaurant - Employee and Patron Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 0
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 1 (1 in region 8)
• Total: 1

Agricultural, Food processing, Migrant Camps (e.g. farm, meat packing, hatchery, etc.):

• New Outbreaks: 11 (3 in region 2S, 3 in region 5, and 5 in region 6)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 23 (3 in region 2S, 2 in region 3, 12 in region 5, 6 in region 6)
• Total: 34

Total Reported Outbreaks for Bars: 7 (3 new outbreaks | 4 ongoing)

Total Reported Outbreaks for Restaurants: 17 (8 new outbreaks | 9 ongoing)

Restaurant/Bar Overall Percentage of All New Outbreaks: 11.8 percent

Restaurant/Bar Percentage of All Ongoing Outbreaks: 6.5 percent

Restaurant/Bar Percentage of All Reported Outbreaks: 8.2 percent

Agriculture/Food Processing/Migrant Camp Percentage of All New Outbreaks: 11.8 percent

Agriculture/Food Processing/Migrant Camp Percentage of All Ongoing Outbreaks: 11.6 percent

Michigan Food Industry Percentage of All New Outbreaks: 23.7 percent

Michigan Food Industry Percentage of All Ongoing Outbreaks: 18.1 percent

Michigan Food Industry Percentage of All Reported Outbreaks for Week of August 27: 19.9 percent

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Week of August 20

Total New in All Settings: 70 | Total Ongoing in All Settings: 222 | Total for All Settings: 292

Bar - Employee Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 1 (region 2N)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 4 (3 in region 2S and 1 in region 8)
• Total: 5

Bar - Employee and Patron Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 1 (region 3)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 1 (region 2S)
• Total: 2

Restaurant - Employee Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 8 (4 in region 2N, 1 in region 6, and 3 in region 7)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 4 (1 in region 2N, 1 in region 6, 2 in region 7)
• Total: 12

Restaurant - Employee and Patron Associated:

• New Outbreaks: 0
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 0
• Total: 0

Agricultural, Food processing, Migrant Camps (e.g. farm, meat packing, hatchery, etc.):

• New Outbreaks: 4 (1 in region 3, 2 in region 5, and 1 in region 6)
• Ongoing Outbreaks: 18 (2 in region 3, 10 in region 5, 4 in region 6, 2 in region 7)
• Total: 22

Total Reported Outbreaks for Bars: 7 (2 new outbreaks | 5 ongoing)

Total Reported Outbreaks for Restaurants: 12 (8 new outbreaks | 4 ongoing)

Restaurant/Bar Overall Percentage of All New Outbreaks: 14.3 percent

Restaurant/Bar Percentage of All Ongoing Outbreaks: 4 percent

Restaurant/Bar Percentage of All Reported Outbreaks: 6.5 percent

Agriculture/Food Processing/Migrant Camp Percentage of All New Outbreaks: 5.7 percent

Agriculture/Food Processing/Migrant Camp Percentage of All Ongoing Outbreaks: 8.1 percent

Michigan Food Industry Percentage of All New Outbreaks: 20 percent

Michigan Food Industry Percentage of All Ongoing Outbreaks: 12.2 percent

Michigan Food Industry Percentage of All Reported Outbreaks for Week of August 20: 14 percent

• Michigan COVID-19 Outbreak Reporting [Michigan.gov]
• Michigan COVID-19 Data Tracker [Eater/Google Sheets]
• Michigan Finally Starts Publicly Reporting COVID-19 Outbreak Data for Bars and Restaurants [ED]
• How Coronavirus Is Impacting the Detroit Food and Beverage Industry [ED]

from Eater Detroit - All