Father of southern Alberta Cargill worker dies from COVID-19 complications

Father of Cargill worker dies from COVID-19 The father of a Cargill worker died from COVID-19 complications Wednesday. Tyson Fedor reports.

Calgary — Another person linked to the outbreak at the Cargill meat processing facility in southern Alberta has died from COVID-19 complications.

Armando Sallegue, whose son works at Cargill, died this week after first testing positive for the virus on April 23.

On April 26, Sallegue was placed on a ventilator at the Rocky View Hospital.

The family started a GoFundMe page last month to help cover the cost of his medical care, as he was in High River, Alta., visiting family from the Philippines when he contracted the virus.

Sallegue's death is the second one linked to the Cargill outbreak. Last month, Biu Thi Hiep, an employee with more than two decades with Cargill, also died from complications linked to the virus.

Nearly 950 workers from the Cargill plant have tested positive for COVID-19. So far, about 800 have recovered.

However, the community spread is estimated at around 1,500 cases.

The plant reopened Monday after a two-week closure.

Cargill says it knows COVID-19 has deeply affected the community and the plant has sent its condolences to the family.

The union says most of its members are showing up for work because they need the money after two weeks off the job.

The JBS Canada beef plant in Brooks, Alberta had 487 cases as of yesterday.

Together the two plants account for about 70 per cent of Canada's beef production.

With files from the Canadian Press