Native American Tribes who seek data analytics on the COVID-19 spread have repeatedly seen their requests denied by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Other states have free access to the same data.

In Michigan and Massachusetts, state authorities have also denied Tribal epidemiologists requests for resources to support contact tracing in Tribal communities. States questioned the Tribes’ legal standing and used privacy concerns as the reason to deny the data.

In New Mexico, COVID-19 has severely affected Tribes, making up 60 percent of cases despite being 8.8 percent of the state’s population.

The 12 Tribal epidemiology centers in the United States, which are considered public health authorities alongside the CDC, have been repeatedly denied information and been informed that the data is not for the public. The centers seek access to the CDC’s National Electronic Disease Surveillance System, which has data on contact tracing, laboratory reporting and inter agency data from various state institutions.

Read the full story from The Independent here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/native-american-tribes-receiving-data-spread-coronavirus-a9604741.html