Pennsylvania health officials have refused to release some data on coronavirus cases due to a 1955 law that was created to protect patient privacy, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Healthcare leaders in the state haven’t released information on the total number of samples tested, number of patients quarantined or the ages of the infected patients. The Pennsylvania health department has only released information on the number of positive cases and general information on the source of the infection.
The Disease Prevention and Control Law allows the health department to not disclose records and reports on contagious diseases. Instead, health officials can determine if the public benefit would outweigh privacy concerns when disclosing information.
Not all states follow this rule. Neighboring states, including New York, New Jersey and Maryland, have started to release data on the number of cases tested.