With some seeking to identify COVID-19 patients, DPH asks towns to consider resident privacy if releasing case numbers
“There have been negative effects on people as some have attempted to identify those individuals who have tested positive."
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The state Department of Public Health is only sharing the number of COVID-19 cases, and related deaths, by county, and is asking cities and towns to consider residents’ privacy when or if they’re sharing case information.
“DPH recommends that local boards of health respect the privacy and confidentiality of residents when providing case counts,” a spokesperson for the department said in an email to Boston.com on Monday.
A memo went out to municipal boards of health from DPH, according to an email from the spokesperson.
“We understand that many boards of health find value in sharing community-specific data as part of a risk communication plan and to keep the public informed about the scope of the local public health effort,” a portion of it says. “If you choose to share numbers of cases or deaths for these purposes, please do so with the highest regard for privacy and confidentiality by not including any information other than the case count.”
In Chelmsford, the town noted on Friday that it would no longer be posting case numbers.
“There have been negative effects on people as some have attempted to identify those individuals who have tested positive,” a post to the town’s official Facebook page said.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1882256578575093&id=232649970202437&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARB83tK5jtanecfg0EJ5QLzDABQPq2EVmNl4a9euSTqyGROsGnP5gSCbY1Cr03PXvz0qK60gLCQBZi76lgR4TvMKRAoNPY-90TqVfUD4KhAdYksl3ogwDZopq5UfpSdRzjiLuHHegK8XrdNK1O_jYgCR_jDOSRzzyxw-LBqlYklO4tnviLM2879DR3GrPgsIO0MUNbLhmDLeHR8xZTYjwfLVPgKdavz2_oDSYq1kZw8a9yUoOHoafCGItfJfzBMGd3xKH3ftpBfGOrtShYyH_HRqmko_MbJO-qrVlJrcze8TNvhgJwHF2thBRX8weNH3Hj1jXe83w7L0tp7-ZfHkig&__tn__=-R
The post received mixed responses from Facebook users.
“We have a right to know how hard this is hitting out community,” a Facebook user identified as Joe Sena said.
Others seemed accepting of the measure.
“For those who feel they need to know, assume everyone has the virus,” a user identified as Nick DeSilvio said. “You may have it and not know it. Stay busy and help your neighbors.”
It’s a question that has been raised nationally, and how much information given out differs by state, according to The New York Times. On one side of the debate is the threat of stigma associated with those who are sick, on the other the fear of not knowing when the information isn’t made public.
Do you think individual cities and towns should be releasing more specific information regarding coronavirus cases and fatalities? Share your thoughts in the comments or email [email protected].
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