DOH: Details of COVID-19 patients won't be made public, only for contact-tracing

The personal information of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients will not be publicized and will only be used by government agencies involved in contact tracing, the Department of Health (DOH) clarified on Tuesday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said information such as a patient’s travel history and close contacts will be used solely for contact tracing by the DOH, local governments, and the Philippine National Police.

“Alinsunod sa Data Privacy Act ang pagkuha ng mga detalye at ang gagawing contact tracing base sa mga detalyeng ito ay dapat ipaliwanag sa pasyente bago kunin ang kanilang personal na information,” she explained at a virtual press briefing.

The inter-agency task force leading the COVID-19 response earlier mandated the disclosure of personal information for confirmed cases.

The Commission on Human Rights called on the government to handle patients’ information with care as it may be prone to “overreach.” -NB, GMA News