The CDC said Friday that there are now cases in the states of California, Minnesota, OH and NY as well as OR and Washington.
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Chipotle Mexican Grills’ E. coli outbreak has spread to six states, while news of the restaurant’s issues has seen stock in the chain drop by 12 percent as well.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is working with public health officials to help them understand the distribution of food items served at locations where ill people ate, and this work is ongoing.
Three additional states – now, including OH – have reported people infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) since the last update.
Of those who are affected, 43 are reported to have eaten at a Chipotle the week before their illnesses began.
Shares in Chipotle fell by $75.32 to $536.19 following the CDC announcement.
A recent outbreak of E. coli at Chipotle Mexican Grill locations in the Pacific Northwest, which caused the restaurant temporarily to close 43 locations, appears to have spread across the country to the East Coast. A total of 45 people were infected, including two in California, two in Minnesota, one in NY and one in OH, the CDC said.
Meanwhile, investigators are still searching for the specific ingredient causing patrons to become ill. They are investigating the restaurants’ supply chain. Other cases were reported in Minnesota and Ohio.
Though investigators have yet to ascertain the origin of the outbreak, Arnold said ingredients that will have been during the visits at the affected places are no longer there. So far, there have been no serious complications or reported deaths, reports Reuters. At least, 45 people have been sickened, 16 have been hospitalized. It also hired safety consultants, sanitized the restaurants and threw out unused food.
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Chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle, Steve Ells, said in a statement the company will “leave no stone unturned”. “On behalf of all of us, I’d like to offer our sincerest apologies and assure all of our customers that we are doing everything possible to make our food as safe as it can be”.
