Pa. Department of Health to provide county EMS agencies more details on covid-19 cases

The Pennsylvania Department of Health will release additional information about the location of covid-19 patients to county emergency management agencies beginning Friday.

Citing the privacy provisions of the 1955 Disease Prevention and Control Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which holds daily briefings on the statewide case count, previously refused to release anything more specific than countywide numbers.

State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine told her the information that will go out to county officials includes the addresses of individuals who have tested positive for the highly infectious viral disease that has now claimed the lives of more than 15,000 Americans.

Health Department spokesman Nate Wardle declined to confirm specifically what information will be included.

“The data that will be shared with county emergency management officials will assist them as they work to protect first responders in their communities,” he said.

Ward, who has been gathering co-sponsors for a measure to require the release of such information, said the move has been gaining traction among lawmakers across the state in recent days.

“I’m really happy they are doing this. It will come as such a relief to first responders who have been clamoring for information,” she said.

Counties that have local health departments have been released detailed information about the spread of the virus. In Philadelphia, officials post maps down to the ZIP code level, while in Allegheny County the health department publicly issues maps at the municipal level and flags addresses in the 911 system.

Officials in Westmoreland County and elsewhere said such information helps protect first responders and allows local officials to make informed decisions about where to deploy their resources.

Westmoreland County Public Safety Director Roland “Bud” Mertz has repeatedly voiced concerns about the lack of information his office receives. He said news of the county’s first covid-19 death this week, compounded those concerns.

“I don’t know what they’re going to release. I’m just happy that we’re going to begetting more information to build our strategies for first responders,” he said.