The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked two cases in California, two in Minnesota, one in NY and one in OH, with the latest case dating to November 8.
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Health officials reported new cases of E. coli infections linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant have now reached six states throughout the United States.
On October, 31, first E. coli outbreak at Chipotle restaurant was reported in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon, which caused the closure of 43 restaurants in those markets.
From the information gathered by the CDC, 43 of the 45 ill people interviewed ate at Chipotle Mexican Grill before they became ill.
“The investigation is still ongoing to determine what specific food is linked to illness”.
Due to the timing of the reports, Chipotle did not believe it was necessary to close those restaurants, according to the chain’s spokesman, Chris Arnold.
Chipotle’s already reopened most of the stores it closed at the beginning of the month and the company’s spokesperson said that the burrito giant isn’t planning on shuttering any more of its locations in response to this latest news. Sixteen of the 45 E. coli victims have required hospitalization.
“We offer our sincerest apologies to those who have been affected”, Steve Ells, chairman and co-chief executive officer of Chipotle, said in a statement.
Both County and State health departments are now investigating a single case of E. Coli, suffered by an Erie County resident in October. There have been no reports of hemolytic uremic syndrome and no deaths.
So far, the Chipotle E. coli outbreak is far less severe, but Chipotle’s sales will likely suffer in the short-term as customers think twice about visiting its restaurants.
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Chipotle’s stock plunged on the news, losing more than 12 percent on Friday to hit its lowest point since May of previous year. Following this incident, the corporation has taken aggressive steps to make sure its restaurants are as save as possible. The other cases were found in California, Minnesota and NY, the release says.
