The State Health Department is reversing course on releasing detailed COVID-19 data.
Attorney General Mike Hunter says he has worked with the agency to make sure data from smaller cities and zip codes gets released without jeopardizing personal information.
Lawyers for the health department and the governor’s office made a decision earlier this week to no longer release the figures because of state medical privacy laws. They claimed that the expiration of the state's Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act on Sunday made it impossible to do so.
The head of the Oklahoma Press Association, who originally criticized the move, says he welcomes the quick decision to reverse course.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health says state attorneys will meet Thursday to determine what data sets they can report.
“It is incumbent upon us as state leaders to protect sensitive health information,” OSDH Interim Commissioner Lance Frye said in a written statement. “I encourage Oklahomans to use the information to make informed decisions in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
