“The main issue with Latinos is that we have a higher proportion of people with chronic illnesses, so things like diabetes and hypertension, and in the long run, functional limitation because of chronic illness, are very prominent in Latinx health,” said Dr. Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde.
Marquez-Velarde, an assistant professor at Utah State University, studies population health and disparities in health between minorities and white populations.
“In these communities, Latinx communities and Black communities, that are more exposed to COVID-19 because they are more likely to be working or overrepresented in essential businesses, such as grocery stores, or transportation, or other sort of occupations that have not stopped working," she said. "And that's the case that we're seeing right now in Cache Valley with workers at these different food processing plants, of the virus spreading pretty rapidly among these individuals, they have not stopped working, they have not had the resources to get tested. And you know, they also cannot afford to stop working.”
The meat processing plant JBS in southern Cache County tested every one of its 1,024 employees between May 30 and June 2, and 287 of those came back positive. Since these tests were processed, the number of Hispanic or Latinx cases in the state nearly doubled. And Crescencio López-Gónzalez, an assistant professor of Latinx Studies at USU and advocate in the area, says based on the latest CDC transmission models for the virus, he expects that number to triple as family members of the confirmed cases get tested.
“Everybody is focusing on JBS but we have to remember, JBS tested all of their employees," said Lizette Villegas, with The Family Place. "So they're the ones that are in the eye right now because they jumped to do that. Other companies — that we won't name — (it) doesn't mean they're not affected, either.”
There have been rumors of similar outbreaks at several other companies in town, many of which are in the food packaging industry, though no other companies have conducted mass-testing of employees at this time.
The full list of donation drop-off sites organized by López-Gónzalez is as follows:
Iglesia Católica de Santo Thomas de Aquino
Phone: 435-752-1478
573 E. 2050 North
Logan, UT 84341
Iglesia de Dios Peniel- Un Nuevo Comienzo
Marisol Montufar y Francisco Montufar
Phone: 435-760-6031
340 N. 800 East
Hyrum, UT 84319
Danny Beus
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Phone: 435-232-3923
386 Sheridan Ridge Lane
Nibley, UT 84321
Elizabeth Springborn
Phone: 435-374-8952
336 E. 700 South
Logan, UT 84321
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Phone: 435-245-5898
310 N. 800 East
Hyrum, UT 84319
Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection
Jess Lucero
Phone: 307-221-3515
93 S. 1250 East
Logan, UT 84321
Stef Burns
(Relief Society-Hygiene Kits)
