Concerns arise over federal gov. access to personal info during COVID vaccine process

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) With vaccines on the way across the US and here on the Central Coast, questions are coming up about what kind of personal information will be required to get a shot.

Some health associations say undocumented workers could be scared off from getting a shot if certain data is going to be shared with the federal government.

States like Kansas, New York and California are feeling hesitant about providing any identifying information to the CDC when vaccines roll out, something which the federal health agency is requiring from all states to help with the pandemic response.

Farmworkers in Salinas are among the hardest hit populations by the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of us can work remotely, online and over the phone, these essential workers simply cannot.

"They cannot harvest the lettuce, the broccoli, picking the fruits remotely. They cannot do that by Zoom. They need to show up every single day and do the physical work," said Lauro Barajas, a vice president of the UFW Salinas.

Getting a vaccine to these frontline residents is paramount. But some are concerned personal information requirements during the immunization process could deter undocumented workers from getting the vaccine all together.

In a letter sent to the CDC, four health and immunization associations voiced their concerns about vaccine recipients' identifying info being shared with the federal government.

"Groups of people who would likely be prioritized as essential workers, such as people who are undocumented, migrant farmworkers, food processing plant workers, etc., may be most apprehensive about sharing their information," said the letter.

The Kansas City Star reports names, addresses and dates of birth will be included as part of the data collected by the CDC, who says it will only be used for the vaccine administration process.

The Monterey County Health Department says since we are still in the initial stages of vaccination deployment, we will just have to see what direction they will get from the state.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta issued a statement as well saying:

“Equity must be at the center of our recovery from this pandemic. This virus does not care if you were born in this country or not, which is why we need to ensure that every community member can access a vaccine regardless of immigration status. Anyone who calls our nation home must be assured that the distribution of a vaccine will not be used for any punitive action, immigration or otherwise, other than recovering from this bruising pandemic.”

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Concerns are arising relating to whether the federal government will have access to the personal information as it relates to immigration status. 

According to an article in The Kansas City Star, “Kansas health officials are ‘very reluctant’ to share personal information on COVID-19 vaccine recipients — including names, addresses and dates of birth — that the federal government is demanding once the United States begins a months-long campaign to vaccinate millions of Americans.”

Several health groups like the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) sent a letter to the CDC in October expressing concerns that information sharing may scare people away from taking the vaccine. 

“Groups of people who would likely be prioritized as essential workers, such as people who are undocumented, migrant farmworkers, food processing plant workers, etc., may be most apprehensive about sharing their information,” the groups said in the letter. 

The Monterey County Health Department says the personal information of those who take a COVID-19 vaccine will be well protected. 

KION’s Josh Kristianto will have more tonight at 5 and 6pm.