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Spatial Dimensions of Vulnerability: Meatpacking, Socioeconomics, and the Outbreak of COVID-19 in the High Plains of Texas
COVID-19 and a World of Ad Hoc Geographies: Volume 1 ; 1:1423-1444, 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2323902
ABSTRACT
In May 2020, 2 months after COVID-19 arrived in the High Plains of Texas, meatpacking plant workers were discovered to be contracting the virus in large numbers. Working conditions in the plants-close spacing on the disassembly lines, cold temperatures, noise (shouting to be heard), etc.;along with congregant settings among the immigrant workers before and after work-were all implicated in the infections. Although much has been written on the vulnerabilities of meatpacking workers, little research has investigated the spatial spread of the virus. In this study we analyze COVID-19 case rates for May 15 (the first spike in daily case numbers), for the 41 counties of the region in relation to meat-packing influence, ethnicity, and socioeconomic structure of the counties. We find that meatpacking influence had the strongest relationship to COVID-19 rates across the counties;that the presence of Asian and African immigrants was also significant;and that rurality and isolation insulated more than half the counties from high virus rates. Further analysis, for later spikes in cases (July 1 and November 25), revealed a decline in meatpacking influence, a surge in COVID-19‘s infection of counties with large domestic minorities, and an amplification of low COVID-19 cases for rural, older, Anglo counties. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: Scopus Type of study: Experimental Studies Language: English Journal: COVID-19 and a World of Ad Hoc Geographies: Volume 1 Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: Scopus Type of study: Experimental Studies Language: English Journal: COVID-19 and a World of Ad Hoc Geographies: Volume 1 Year: 2022 Document Type: Article