Tennessee to halt sharing COVID-19 patient data

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee will soon stop providing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients to first responders, after initially arguing doing so would protect those on the front line.

Gov. Bill Lee’s administration made the decision this week, conceding that the data may have created a false sense of security to those responding to emergency calls. The data sharing will stop at the end of the month.

The announcement follows an Associated Press review that found public officials in at least two-thirds of states are sharing the addresses of people who tested positive with first responders. A small handful of those states, including Tennessee, also shared the patients’ names.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)