TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – A recent study shows that one in three Kansans are willing to share their health data with Big Pharma to improve the COVID-19 vaccine.
MyBioSource.com says it recently conducted a survey that found while 67% of Kansans said they would not be happy to share their health data indefinitely, around 37% said they would be willing to at least share their health data with Big Pharma in order to improve the accuracy of COVID-19 vaccines.
The leading source of COVID-19 research reagents, MyBioSource.com, said according to the World Health Organization, rapid data sharing is the foundation for public health actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. It said when it comes to vaccine development, the few months after the first stages of distribution could be crucial to the overall outcome of the pandemic. In the United States, it said personal health records are currently protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, but when it comes to an unprecedented worldwide pandemic, people may be willing to change their perspectives.
MyBioSource.com, a biotechnological products distribution company, said it conducted a survey of 3,000 Americans and found that around 37% of Kansans say they would feel more comfortable sharing their personal health data with pharmaceutical companies if that meant the COVID-19 vaccines could improve. However, it said 67% said they would not be happy to share that information indefinitely, showing the generosity of personal health information is only based on the urgency of pandemic-based relief.
According to MyBioSource, recent technological scandals, like the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica in 2018, it may be true that public awareness around the risks and consequences of data sharing has risen, which could explain the percentage of those that would not be willing to share that information indefinitely. However, it said the results also show Kansans’ attitude of urgency surrounding COVID-19 pandemic prevention, due to the catastrophic effects it has had so far.
MyBioSource said despite the willingness to help in research, many are still cautious of ownership and authority surrounding data sharing. It said the survey found 82% of respondents said they would not approve of the federal government if it ordered that health data had to be shared with pharmaceutical companies without their approval. It said data sharing would need to be done on a voluntary basis according to the majority of respondents.
Additionally, the website said around 53% of respondents said they should be paid if pharmaceutical companies wanted to get their health data in order to improve the vaccine. Moreover, it said the average American would charge those companies around $557 for their data.
MyBioSource said considering the increase in the utilization of tech-based health devices and software, like smartwatches, fitness apps and step trackers, it could be understandable why some may be concerned about who the data would be shared with. After all, it said if used on a daily basis, the data could contain a detailed record of the everyday behaviors, habits and lives of residents. It said the survey also found that 72% of respondents said tech companies should not be allowed to share any users’ personal health data with companies in order to develop treatments without that person’s permission.
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