Vaccination Cold Calls Raise Privacy Concerns With Lawmakers
MINOT, N.D. — I’ve had a few readers contact me recently saying they’ve been cold-called about their vaccination status by people from the North Dakota Department of Health.
The calls are intended to help citizens make appointments to get vaccinated, but how the state is getting the medical data on which citizens are vaccinated, and which are not, is raising privacy concerns with the people who have contacted me.
And I’m apparently not the only one being contacted about this issue.
Two state lawmakers — Sen. Nicole Poolman of Bismarck and Sen. Jessica Unruh Bell of Beulah, both Republicans — have sent a letter to State Health Officer Dr. Nizar Wehbi inquiring about the calls.
“We recently became aware of the North Dakota Department of Health’s vaccine initiative consisting of unsolicited phone calls regarding one’s current vaccination status,” the Senators write in their letter. “While we understand the importance of educating society about vaccines, we do not believe it is the role of the Department of Health to interfere in individuals’ personal health choices.”
