Smithfield Foods employee tests positive for COVID-19

Health officials say a worker at Smithfield Foods in Crete has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Health officials say a worker at Smithfield Foods in Crete has tested positive for COVID-19.

It’s unclear at this time how the employee was exposed to the coronavirus, Pat Lopez, Interim Director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, said.

A company spokeswoman told Channel 8 Eyewitness News the company does not provide details about positive cases in order to maintain employee privacy.

Officials announced 10 new confirmed cases in Lincoln on Monday.

Five of the new cases are men and five are women. They range in age from their 20s to their 80s.

As of Monday afternoon, two Lancaster County residents were hospitalized for COVID-19. One patient was on a ventilator.

Lopez stressed that the reason for the recent uptick in positive cases is because Lincoln still has not hit its peak like other cities across the United States. She said it’s anticipated that most cases will be community spread going forward.

Officials on Monday also rolled out a new “data dashboard” that tracks statistics about cases in Lincoln and Lancaster County. The tool breaks down cases by gender, exposure type, zip code and other categories.