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Coronavirus in Oklahoma: Health officials get OK to release infection data again

Nolan Clay
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Oklahoma health officials will resume making public more details about COVID-19 infections and deaths.

Attorney General Mike Hunter advised officials Wednesday that releasing the information does not violate state or federal law, as long as individuals are not identifiable. “This data is important for citizens to have at their disposal to make informed decisions," he said in a news release about his advice.

The Health Department announced Monday that it would no longer provide details about COVID-19 cases by city, ZIP code and nursing home/long-term care facility because the state’s catastrophic emergency declaration has expired.

The change Monday was made because of concerns that releasing the information would violate state laws on medical record confidentiality. The emergency declaration had allowed the governor to suspend those laws.

The attorney general's advice clears the way for the Health Department to release the information again without worries. The attorney general will send a letter to officials Thursday.

“I am pleased we found a way to provide this data that upholds the law and protects Oklahomans,” the state's health secretary, Jerome Loughridge, said Wednesday. “We thank the attorney general for helping us get to this conclusion.”

The release of information in April and May on nursing home infections and deaths led to public shows of support for those most affected by the respiratory disease. So far, 182 COVID-19 deaths have been associated with nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the state, the Health Department reported Wednesday night.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter