The Centers for Disease Control are investigating an extensive outbreak of COVID-19 in the Primex plant packing pistachios located near Wasco in Kern County, CA.

According to state records, the incidence rate of COVID-19 in Kern County averaged 56 cases per 100,000 people during the first two weeks of August, the highest in any county in California.  Twenty-five thousand cases have been recorded in the county with 204 fatalities among a population of 900,000.  Statewide, there have been 601,000 cases of COVID-19 in California with 11,000 fatalities.

Of the known cases in Kern County, 72 percent are Latinos who comprise 55 percent of the population. Within the state, 60 percent of those testing positive are Latinos compared to their 39 percent of the California population.

Statistics relating to Latinos are probably under-estimated given that immigrant workers including a proportion of those who are undocumented do not seek medical assistance. According to the United Farm Workers of America agricultural workers are disinclined to report symptoms to their employers for fear of termination or loosing pay.

Wasco is the location of Central Valley Eggs, a two million-hen complex.  There is also a California Department of Corrections prison on the outskirts of the City.  The numbers of cases within the prison or in the egg production complex are unknown. The incidence rate in the prison compared to the Primex plant could provide information on the effectiveness of methods of prevention in agricultural facilities and to establish whether there is any correlation between workplace and accommodation.  In the case of the inmates, infection might be associated with the constant transfer of prisoners and also introduction of infection by prison staff.