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Tyson Begins On-Site Vaccinations At Plants, Including Wilkesboro

The Tyson Foods facility in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Tyson Foods is vaccinating thousands of frontline workers at some of its plants across the country. This includes its large chicken processing complex in Wilkesboro.

The company announced this week that on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinics will open in Arkansas, Kansas, and North Carolina. The vaccines are being provided in conjunction with Matrix Medical and local health departments. 

Workers in the meatpacking and poultry processing industry are among those now eligible under Group 3 to receive the shot.

Tyson spokesman Derek Burleson says the vaccine will be provided at no cost to employees.

“It's not mandatory," he says. "We are not forcing team members to become vaccinated, but we are encouraging them to do it and we are spending a lot of time educating them with really expert third party material from Matrix Medical, the CDC.”

The company says nearly 10,000 of its U.S employees have recently been vaccinated either at onsite events or through an external source. In Wilkes County, the Tyson plant employs around 3,000 people.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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