Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall on Sept. 8 warned healthcare providers to stop any unlawful use of the state's immunization registry.
Terms of use of Alabama's immunization registry, known as ImmPRINT, are governed by state law and rules adopted by the Alabama State Board of Health. The data stored in the registry is confidential and has few permitted uses, according to a news release.
The state attorney general's office received complaints from healthcare employees who claimed that their employers got their COVID-19 vaccination status from ImmPRINT, Mr. Marshall said.
"In several of those cases, a shared employer specifically acknowledged accessing the state immunization database for this purpose. This privacy violation is unlawful," Mr. Marshall said in the news release.
The attorney general's office sent a formal demand to the employer telling it to cease and desist the alleged unlawful activity. "The Alabama Department of Public Health has also warned that it is inappropriate for any employer to use the ImmPRINT system to verify the COVID-19 vaccination status of an employee and that using the immunization registry in this manner will result in immediate termination of database access," the news release said.