COVID-19 death reported in Dakota County Saturday; believed to be Tyson worker – Sioux City Journal

Help support our COVID-19 coverage

We're providing access to COVID-19 articles for free. Please help support our work by subscribing or signing up for an account. Already a subscriber? Log in.

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY -- An additional COVID-19 death recorded in Dakota County on Saturday is believed to have been a worker at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant at Dakota City.

The Dakota County Health Department provided no information on the individual, but a source in South Sioux City told the Journal Saturday that the deceased was a woman in her 50s or 60s who worked at the Tyson plant. She suffered breathing problems due to the virus and was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at a Sioux City hospital Friday night.

This death marks the second in Dakota County attributed to the virus.

Ahmad Mohammad, the imam of the Islamic Center of Siouxland, said in a statement Saturday that the woman's funeral was underway, and that he expects it won't be the last death of a worker at the plant.

"Sadly and unfortunately, I do expect many more deaths of Muslim Somali employees of Tyson Foods Plant in Dakota City in the coming days, because many of these Somali employees of this plant tested positive to COVID-19 and they are sick and are staying home," he wrote.

Mohammad wrote that the woman was near death by the time she was taken to the hospital, and criticized local hospitals for what he described as their unwillingness to accept COVID-19 patients until their illness has reached a critical level.

Visit link:

COVID-19 death reported in Dakota County Saturday; believed to be Tyson worker - Sioux City Journal