Vaccine eligibility leaves people with Down syndrome scrambling to find appointments
and last updated 2021-03-17 16:23:54-04
People with Down syndrome are some of the most at-risk to die from COVID-19 because of their predisposition to other diseases, but advocates and families say it has been difficult to get a vaccine.
Recent research from Emory University shows that adults with Down syndrome are four to five times more likely to be hospitalized from the novel coronavirus than the general population and 10 times more likely to die from it.
A 40-year-old adult with the condition faces the same risks as someone without Down syndrome who is 70 years old.
Vaccine eligibility leaves people with Down syndrome scrambling to find appointments thedenverchannel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedenverchannel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
COVID-19 is especially deadly for adults with Down syndrome. But many can t get a vaccine shot. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY
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The elderly woman on the phone was heartbroken. Her brother, who had Down syndrome, had never lacked a family member at his side in his 60-plus years.
But then he became severely ill with COVID-19, and she d had to leave him at a local hospital, confused and alone. He died two weeks later.
Now she was calling the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota to ask if she could help spare other families from the same fate by helping the agency in its efforts to lobby state health officials to prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for adults with Down syndrome.
COVID-19 is especially deadly for adults with Down syndrome But many can t get a vaccine shot msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.