Some with disabilities worry they ll die if they get COVID, say slow vaccine rollout puts them at risk
Provinces have prioritized vaccinating older Canadians in long-term care homes given the troubling number of deadly outbreaks in these facilities. But there’s another high-risk group: the one in five Canadians living with disabilities.
Social Sharing
Many have same risk of mortality as elderly in long-term care, but won’t be vaccinated until spring or summer
CBC Radio ·
Posted: Feb 06, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: February 6
Jeff Preston, as assistant professor of disability studies at Western University’s King’s College in London, Ont., has a rare form of muscular dystrophy and uses an electric wheelchair to get around. He says his condition makes him extremely vulnerable to a fatal outcome if he were to contract COVID-19.(Submitted by Jeff Preston)
TORONTO Based on what disability advocates have seen so far, Canadian cities arenât ready for the influx of people temporarily or permanently disabled from COVID-19. Long-term effects include breathing problems, mobility limitations from fatigue, and neurological and sleeping difficulties. âThis is a whole new source of disability,â Mary Ann McColl, academic lead for the Canadian Policy Disability Alliance and an epidemiologist at Queens University, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. COVID-19 long haulers, as theyâre being called, could be dealing with long-term conditions such as neurological problems, pulmonary fibrosis, inflammation of the heart, and renal insufficiency.