Fla., Health Department Refuses To Provide More Details Related To Omicron Cases; Officials Earlier Provided Info And Data

Florida Phoenix

December 8, 2021

With confirmed cases of the new omicron variant in Florida, the state health department on Wednesday declined to release details about cases, such as gender, age or information connected to travel history.

Earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Florida Department of Health created lengthy reports that were made available to the public with details about case information.

As it stands now, state health officials will not distribute detailed reports about confirmed cases of the troubling variant called omicron, raising concerns about transparency issues regarding COVID cases.

For instance, a report on positive COVID cases in March of 2020 had revealed a variety of information including the individual’s age, gender, county, whether they were a Florida resident or if they’d made “contact with a confirmed case.”

The state did confirm a case of omicron in St. Lucie County but wouldn’t release any other details to the Florida Phoenix, citing laws that protect an individual’s health information. In addition, Florida Department of Health Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern confirmed another case in Tampa, but told the Phoenix “to contact the VA for information regarding their case.”

On Tuesday, several news outlets, such as the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, reported that two cases were confirmed – one in Tampa at James A. Harry Veterans’ Hospital and the other case in St. Lucie County.

“The department strives to protect the identity of individuals tested or affected by COVID-19, while also ensuring information necessary for the public health is available,” Redfern said in an email to the Florida Phoenix Wednesday.

“As such, in order to protect the personally identifiable health information…of Floridians, the department is unable to provide certain details regarding case information.”

However, a spokesperson from the county health department in St. Lucie noted that the case involved a resident who’d traveled internationally, the Orlando Sentinel reported, but no other details were released.

“St. Lucie County has a confirmed case of omicron in a resident who traveled internationally,” said Jennifer J. Harris, spokesperson for Florida Department of Health – St. Lucie, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. “This is a routine epidemiological investigation we and every other health department gets involved in to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases, like COVID.”

In a response to the state health department’s tweet on Tuesday about the confirmed omicron case, State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith questioned the state health department about whether it will proceed with reporting daily COVID-19 cases.

“Will you resume detailed daily reporting on its spread so that Floridians can make informed decisions or nah?” Smith said via Twitter.

Smith is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Health, over the state’s refusal to provide certain public records related to COVID-19. The other plaintiff is the Florida Center for Government Accountability, a nonprofit group that focuses on holding government officials accountable.

Omicron was labeled as a variant of concern on Nov. 26 by the World Health Organization, as the variant began to spread rapidly in South Africa. Though studies are still underway on the new variant, scientists in South Africa and Germany released preliminary findings on Wednesday that suggest “the vaccines will be much less effective at stopping infections from the omicron variant but will still likely offer protection against severe disease,” according to an NPR report.

As of Wednesday at 5 p.m., omicron had been detected in 21 states, according to a map tracking the variant by The New York Times. Those states in the map are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

The Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news site that’s free of advertising and free to readers, covers state government and politics through a mix of in-depth stories, briefs, and social media updates on the latest events, editorial cartoons, and progressive commentary. The Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.