CDC Will Collect Personal Data On Vaccine Recipients, Raising Privacy Concerns

Topline

The Centers for Disease Control will collect the names, addresses, ethnicities and birthdays of coronavirus vaccine recipients, raising concerns that the federal data collection effort will dissuade Americans from getting inoculated.

Key Facts

Chief Critics

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the collection of personal information by federal authorities could dissuade undocumented immigrants from taking the vaccine. He added that this is “another example of them trying to extort the State of New York to get information that they can use at the Department of Homeland Security and ICE that they’ll use to deport people.”

Organizations representing local and state health officials, including the Association of Immunization Managers and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, expressed concern in October that “requiring states and local jurisdictions to share identified data with the federal government as a condition of getting vaccinated may further erode patients’ willingness to get COVID-19 vaccine.”

Key Background

Health officials are trying to instill confidence in a vaccine because herd immunity can only be achieved if enough people are inoculated. According to a November Pew poll, only 60% of Americans say they will get vaccinated, a number driven by a growing segment of Americans is skeptical of vaccines. The spread of unfounded conspiracy theories on social media about the coronavirus vaccines in development have given rise to even more anti-vaxxers. There are some who are skeptical of the Trump administration’s involvement in vaccine development altogether. And in Black communities, a legacy of racism and mistreatment continues to fuel mistrust in the American medical establishment. 

What To Watch For

Federal officials told reporters Monday that all but a handful of states have signed the agreement, and they expect the rest will sign by the end of the week, according to the New York Times.