A private hospital organised a Covid-19 vaccination drive for individuals with autism on Saturday, most of whom struggle to wait for long and get “anxious in a crowd”.
Apollo Gleneagles Hospital administered the first dose of Covishield to individuals with autism in the age group of 19 to 35 years from four centres in the city that work with such persons.
Waiting in a crowd, maintaining physical distance and masking up for hours is a challenge for individuals with autism, said those working with children and individuals with autism.
The two-hour window saved individuals with autism and their parents or guardians the hassle of waiting in long queues.
Covid challenge for schools for special kids Organisations cite difficulty in maintaining distance even if they dealt with small groups of eight to 10
The challenge for schools and organisations for children with special needs is maintaining the Covid-19 safety protocols like distancing, wearing masks and following the basic hygiene, the heads of several schools said.
At least two organisations said that since many of the individuals belonged to a “high support” group, it was difficult to maintain distance even if they dealt with small groups of eight to 10.
For children with special needs, there is a greater tendency to touch or have body contact or at times even put things in the mouth.