COVID-19: Personal details of uncooperative patients will be revealed

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed that a person tested positive for COVID-19 has refused to cooperate with the relevant authorities in providing correct information.

In a news brief held by National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Dr Nazla Rafeeq said, contact tracing of the people who have tested positive for the virus is ongoing. However, one of the patients has been refusing to cooperate in providing accurate information.

“We have noticed that one of the patients has not been providing us with the correct information. Therefore, we have to still continue with contact tracing” said Dr Nazla.

Dr Nazla said contact tracing is not an easy job and it will take a reasonable amount of time to compete the task.

NEOC’s spokesperson Mabrook Azeez said the issue of the patient who has not been providing accurate information had been brought to the attention of the Centre. Mabrook said currently the police are involved in obtaining the information. If the person does not cooperate with the police, then the patient’s personal information will be revealed by 2100 hours on Sunday.

“I also want to note as the doctor said, the contact tracing team has provided us with information about a person who has not been cooperative in providing correct information. The police are trying to get accurate information through the person. If the person does not provide information to the police then before tonight’s press brief, Director-General of Public Health will reveal to the public the person’s details.

The Director-General of Public Health has decided and announced on Saturday guidelines for revealing the personal details of patients in the case of a public health emergency, as a measure to safeguard public health.

As per the public health act, in certain critical situations, information about a person infected with a communicable disease shall be revealed when there is a danger of spreading the disease if the information is not disclosed. However, the case shall be studied in detail, and personal details shall be disclosed after exhausting all the other means.