People with learning disabilities extremely vulnerable to effects of Covid-19: Study
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Learning disabilities increase the vulnerability to COVID-19 infection
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Thu 15 Jul 2021 01.00 EDT
People with learning disabilities in England are eight times more likely to die from Covid than the general population, according to research that highlights a âhidden calamityâ of the coronavirus crisis.
The study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Oxford University and Public Health England found risks were particularly high for those with profound learning disabilities linked to Downâs syndrome and cerebral palsy. Among Covid patients with Downâs syndrome, for example, the risk of dying from the infection was 36 times higher than in the general population.
âThis is really stark. I was shocked at the increased death rates for people with learning disabilities and particularly for people with Downâs syndrome,â said Prof Hannah Kuper, director of the International Centre for Evidence in Disability at the LSHTM.
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People with learning disabilities with covid-19 are five times more likely to be admitted to hospital and eight times more likely to die compared with the general population of England, finds a study published by
The BMJ today.
Risks were particularly high for those with severe to profound learning disability, Down s syndrome and cerebral palsy.
The researchers say prompt access to covid-19 testing and healthcare is warranted for this group, and prioritisation for covid-19 vaccination and other targeted preventive measures should be considered.
Emerging evidence has shown that people with learning disability are at higher risk from covid-19 related death compared with the general population. But results from existing studies on other covid-19 outcomes are often complicated by factors such as deprivation and underlying conditions (comorbidities).