Spanish Data Protection Ruling May Mean Politicians’ Vaccine Details Are Revealed

A RULING by Spanish data protection experts may mean the details of politicians who have received the vaccine are revealed.

The move comes as politicians in Asturias were refused their request to find out which Spanish senior government officials had received the vaccine, prompting data protection experts to rule over what details could be revealed.

The legal office of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has responded to the claim made by politicians in the Principality of Asturias who received a refusal after requesting in writing from the regional health service information about which senior officials of the government of Adrian Barbon had been vaccinated.

According to one publication, they said: “The Health Service of the Principality of Asturias (SESPA), which is responsible for the processing of personal data, has said that because the data related to the vaccination status of a person, and health data, it would require the explicit consent of the interested party.”

However, the AEPD said the Asturias Health Service had been wrong to turn down the request for the names, saying there was a public interest reason for the information to be handed over.

The ruling may mean that politicians can now access information on which officials have had the vaccine.

The news comes after the Mayor of Coin has denied claims of vaccination fraud.

Mayor Francisco Santos said it is the Ministry of Health and Families at the Junta de Andalucia which establishes who is vaccinated, while he said in Coin it is the health district which administer the vaccines.

He said: “We do not choose who is vaccinated nor do we know the number of vaccines there are.”

Asked why Local Police officers had not been offered the vaccine, the mayor said it was the health district who gave the jabs out.

The Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into vaccinations at Coin council after receiving a complaint from the Independent Union of Andalusian Police (SIP-AN) that officials at Coin received a vaccine ahead of their turn.

The Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Malaga said it is investigating the claims.

The police union said the council had been “vaccinating and without prioritising the people established in the population groups.”

They claim there were council staff receiving their vaccines before the Local Police, firefighters, Civil Protection officers and others.

The staff in charge of vaccination for the Guadalhorce Health District claimed to have been told that Local Police officers did not want to be vaccinated.