The president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said Thursday that he is urging Sioux Falls Smithfield workers who contracted COVID-19 not to participate in a statewide study into the effectiveness of a malaria drug to treat the disease.

Gov. Kristi Noem has supported a statewide clinical trial of the drug hydroxychloroquine to determine if it might have benefits for COVID-19 patients, but UFCW President Marc Perrone said he wants no Smithfield workers to participate.

“We are very, very concerned about it, and strongly recommend that our members do not take part in that study,” he said.

Perrone said he was concerned by reports that patients treated with the drug had a higher death rate than those who received just standard care.

More:CDC report shows shortcomings in Smithfield COVID-19 response, offers guidance to reopen

Perrone joined UFCW packing plant workers and officials who spoke with reporters during a more than hour long press call Thursday. UFCW officials criticized the federal and state governments for failing to properly safeguard packing plant workers, leading to plant closures across the country, food shortages and distress for farmers and ranchers. Noem was one of several governors criticized by the union.

Maggie Seidel, a spokeswoman for Noem, said in an email that hydroxychloroquine was entirely voluntary.

“If folks want to go that route, the governor has done all she can to make it available,” she said. “It’s up to individuals and their doctors to assess whether it makes sense for them.”

Mark Lauritsen, the union’s vice president for meatpacking, criticized federal and state officials for not designating packing plant workers as frontline workers, which would allow them to received personal protective equipment and additional testing. Lauritsen called out several governors would could be doing more to protect workers, including Noem.

“For all the noise that she makes out in South Dakota, she has yet to declare these workers as frontline status employees that deserve PPE and testing,” he said.

Seidel said the state worked to control the cluster at Smithfield, which included aggressive testing of the workforce in order to isolate those who were sick. She said the state is working with the local union and Smithfield.

“Our number one priority is getting this cluster under control and safeguarding the health of this workforce,” she said. “The team at the Department of Health will continue to work with Smithfield and offer any assistance we can to help them implement these CDC recommendations, so they can safely reopen this plant as soon as possible.”

Achut Deng, a Smithfield employee and one of five UFCW packing plant employees nationwide to participate on the call, said she was upset some, including the governor, were blaming refugees at the plant. Noem told Fox News that 99 percent of the positive cases at that time were taking place outside of the plant.

Deng tested positive for COVID-19 on April 4 after being sent home on March 28.

“To me it’s ridiculous in a way, because I got it as a single mom living at home with my kids – with my three kids,” Deng said. “That had nothing to do with being immigrants. Where did I get it?”

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Seidel said the quote was taken out of context. Noem was speaking after the plant had already been closed, and officials are concerned that coronavirus is being spread within the community.

“There has always been concern about spread taking place outside the plant, but the 99 percent stat specifically refers to a time period after it was closed,” she said.

Perrone said it’s wrong for people to blame the employees, many of whom work in cramped quarters with no protection.

“The thing that concerns me about South Dakota was raised by our steward that was talking just a few minutes ago: That there is blame being placed on communities rather than blame being placed on the environment and not having the protective equipment necessary to protect each worker,” he said.

Reach reporter Jonathan Ellis at 605-575-3629 or jonellis@argusleader.com. Twitter: @ArgusJellis