Tom Mooney reports: Each day a team of nearly 100 state health workers and National Guard members perform what officials say is a vital bit of sleuthing in the fight against the novel coronavirus. They spend hours tracking down the friends, co-workers and relatives of those who have tested positive for the respiratory illness COVID-19…
Category: Healthcare
Judge orders McHenry County Department of Health to disclose names of coronavirus patients to emergency dispatchers
Robert McCoppin reports: A judge has ordered that the McHenry County Department of Health divulge the names of coronavirus patients to emergency dispatchers so police know who has the virus when they respond to emergency calls, prosecutors said. State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally’s office filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of the sheriff. After the…
Did Kerala government compromise health data privacy for coronavirus surveillance?
The Deccan Herald reports: The Pinarayi Vijayan led left-front government in Kerala, which has been winning even international attention for effectively dealing with COVID-19, is now facing allegations of compromising health data of nearly 2 lakh people collected as part of COVID-19 surveillance as the data was being fed to a US-based firm. All local…
Amid a pandemic, we must reconsider when an abortion is medically necessary
Merritt Tierce writes: Last week, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ban on almost all abortions in Texas as the state responds to the coronavirus pandemic. This is a craven and hateful act of votemongering that will endanger lives and damage families. State officials have argued either dishonestly or with inexcusable ignorance that…