Arizona Department Of Health Services Will Release COVID-19 Cases By ZIP Code
Arizonans will soon have a way to track whether the coronavirus has spread in their neighborhoods.
Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said on Sunday her office will begin posting limited, but important patient data.
The website will include, "race and ethnicity information on confirmed cases, location information on confirmed cases by ZIP code, and the ages and genders of COVID-related deaths," Christ confirmed.
Due to health privacy laws, Health Services will hold off releasing data if too few cases in a ZIP code place a patient's identity at risk.
Christ warns the data at first will be sparse with only a week since Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order requiring hospitals to provide the state more information about each case.
The move comes as lawmakers filed lawsuits ordering Health Services to release all COVID-19 related information, including testing practices, pending results, number of patients hospitalized, number of ventilators available and equipment needed.
