According to an announcement made by the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) on Sunday, November 15, the agency suffered a data breach that resulted in the leak of 10,000 COVID-19. Affected patients have already begun receiving letters informing them of the incident.
According to the letter, on September 16, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services determined that a DPH employee accidentally sent two unencrypted emails, one on August 13, 2020, and one on August 20, 2020, to an unauthorized user.
The emails sent to this user contained COVID-19 test results for approximately 10,000 people.
The August 13 email included test results for people tested between July 16, 2020, and August 10, 2020, while the August 20 email included test results for people tested on August 15, 2020.
The agency said the emails in question were intended for internal use by call center staff who help people get their test results
They said the emails were sent in error to a single unauthorized user and that person notified DPH of receipt of the emails. The organization said the emails and the attachments they contained have now been deleted.
There is currently no evidence to suggest that any of the leaked information has been attempted to be misused
DPH stated that they have reviewed and strengthened relevant policies and procedures regarding health insurance portability and liability, and that staff have been retrained on HIPAA.
DPH has also set up a dedicated hotline, separate from the COVID-19 hotline, to answer any questions about this data breach, which can be reached Monday through Friday by those affected by the leak.
