JimBowie1958
Old Fogey
- Sep 25, 2011
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1) Most people do not realize that case does not equate to a person with COVID19. The case is a test result from a specific test for COVID.
If you get COVID you probably had the symptoms first and then you had the test that confirmed or denied that you had COVID.
If the test came back positive, you likely had more tests done to confirm if you have shed the disease or not.
So a person that gets COVID positive results gets more tests and this shows as a higher case count and thus more cases.
2) This is from the CDC website:
HIPAA restrictions prevent the CDC from collecting the private personal information necessary to remove multiple tests from the same person and only counts the test or cases for tests. So the CDC estimates the actual person count and has no solid information as to which cases represent the same people or do not.
This is why Dr Birx said that there is nothing from the CDC that she can trust regarding the count of people infected vrs case count.
If you get COVID you probably had the symptoms first and then you had the test that confirmed or denied that you had COVID.
If the test came back positive, you likely had more tests done to confirm if you have shed the disease or not.
So a person that gets COVID positive results gets more tests and this shows as a higher case count and thus more cases.
2) This is from the CDC website:
COVID Data Tracker
CDC’s home for COVID-19 data. Visualizations, graphs, and data in one easy-to-use website.
covid.cdc.gov
Data Sources, References & Notes: Total cases are based on aggregate counts of COVID-19 cases reported by state and territorial jurisdictions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since January 21, 2020, with the exception of persons repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China, and Japan. The numbers are confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases as reported by U.S. states, U.S. territories, New York City, and the District of Columbia from the previous day.
HIPAA restrictions prevent the CDC from collecting the private personal information necessary to remove multiple tests from the same person and only counts the test or cases for tests. So the CDC estimates the actual person count and has no solid information as to which cases represent the same people or do not.
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
dhss.alaska.gov
Notifying Response Partners
DHSS may notify community partners involved in responding to COVID-19 cases and outbreaks under certain circumstances. This notification process will not include patient identifiers unless explicitly allowed for under Federal HIPAA law and State of Alaska permitted disclosures regulations (see note below). Examples of partners who may be notified include the following:
- Health care facilities if they have infected patients, residents, clients, or staff
- Community public health officials if an outbreak is suspected or concerns arise that may generate significant media interest
- School/university leadership, if cases occur in students or staff and transmission, may have occurred on campus
- Businesses and other organizations if there is reason to suspect that an outbreak is occurring within their workplace or if an exposure in their workplace poses a significant public health threat
Disclosing Protected Health Information
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. The US Department of Health and Human Services issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to implement the requirements of HIPAA. The Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information (known as “protected health information”) by entities subject to the Privacy Rule. These individuals and organizations are called “covered entities.”
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is a covered entity.
A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to ensure that individuals’ health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high-quality health care and to protect the public’s health and well-being.
DHSS may only disclose protected health information in accordance with Federal HIPAA law and State of Alaska DHSS Permitted Disclosures regulations (7 AAC 27.893).
While HIPAA does have some exemptions for sharing information in a public health emergency, the legal analysis is that if there is a state rule that is more protective of an individual’s privacy than HIPAA, that state rules applies. The Alaska state confidentiality rules regarding disclosures of protected health information are currently more stringent in most situations (see: 7 AAC 27.893).
This is why Dr Birx said that there is nothing from the CDC that she can trust regarding the count of people infected vrs case count.
