Call to preserve data from Q fever and post-COVID patients

Jos Bosch, co-coordinator of the Post-Covid Network Netherlands, urges the government to prevent the destruction of data from thousands of Q-fever and post-COVID patients. The patient records from Q-support and C-support, which are being dissolved, contain valuable medical information about approximately 36,000 patients and are set to be deleted for privacy reasons. The Ministry of Health is in discussions with C-support to retain as much relevant scientific information as possible while prioritizing patient privacy. However, Bosch argues that anonymizing data disconnects it from patients, hindering future research and follow-ups. Both organizations claim patients have been informed and can object to data removal, but Bosch notes that some patients may be too weak to respond. The Ministry is seeking a solution as discussions continue.