Attorney General Hunter advises Health Department to continue releasing city-level data

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter today advised the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) that releasing the data about COVID-19 infections does not violate state or federal law, as long as individuals are not identifiable.

After consultation with the attorney general, the OSDH will resume releasing local infection data and deaths. Demographic data, such as age and race, will only be released in aggregate.

“Releasing the total numbers of each locality, county and state-wide demographic data threads the needle of providing up-to-date information to the public while protecting the privacy of Oklahomans,” Attorney General Hunter said. “This data is important for citizens to have at their disposal to make informed decisions. I appreciate OSDH Interim Commissioner Lance Frye and Secretary of Health Jerome Loughridge, for bringing this matter to the attention of my office for review.”

The attorney general advised the interim health commissioner and secretary of health that while state law prohibits the department of health from disclosing personal health information, it may nonetheless release epidemiological information for statistical purposes in such a way that no person can be identified. 

Officials were concerned that releasing detailed demographic information could inadvertently identify someone who is infected with or died from COVID-19, which would violate state laws on medical record confidentiality.

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

Previously, the numbers were being released under the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act, which allowed the governor to temporarily suspend state laws that could hinder the state’s ability to respond to a health emergency or increase the health threat to the population. The emergency declaration under that act expired Monday.

“It is incumbent upon us as state leaders to protect sensitive health information,” Frye said. “I encourage Oklahomans to use the information to make informed decisions in dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic.”

As of Thursday’s situation update, which has not yet restored city-level data, there are 6,907 confirmed positive cases statewide. 344 Oklahomans have died, and 5,781 have recovered, leaving 782 active cases. 1,014 Oklahomans have been hospitalized since the pandemic began, and 148 people are currently hospitalized.

The Tulsa Health Department is offering free specimen collection for COVID-19 testing during the Unity in the Community food distribution event at the 36th Street North Event Center on Friday, June 5 from 4-7 p.m. Testing will be set up next door in the parking lot of the Greater Union Baptist Church, 955 E 36th St N, Tulsa, OK 74106. No appointment is necessary. Individuals can walk up, bike or drive-thru. Call the Tulsa Health Department at 918-582-9355 with questions. Additional testing information can be found here.

A full list of testing sites can be found at this link. There have been 204,815 negative tests so far.

In Tulsa County specifically, there have been 1,109 total cases with 59 deaths and 877 recoveries, leaving 173 active cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting 1,842,101 total cases nationwide with 107,029 deaths. There have been 14,676 cases reported in the past 24 hours, and 827 new deaths have been linked to the virus.

The World Health Organization is reporting 6,416,828 cases worldwide with 382,867 deaths and an increase of 93,246 cases in the past 24 hours. The United States continue to lead the world in total cases, followed by Brazil with 555,383 and Russia with 441,108.