New Analysis Finds People with I/DD at Highest Risk of Dying from COVID-19

We share this reporting by Axios on a new study which brings a deeper understanding to previous findings regarding the risk posed by comorbidities to people with intellectual / developmental disabilities if they contract the coronavirus. We encourage our members to click through to the linked article as it contains a chart which might be helpful to members’ response planning and advocacy efforts with lawmakers as they seek support during the pandemic.

“Coronavirus patients with developmental disorders are the most at risk of dying, followed by those with lung cancer and intellectual disabilities, according to a new analysis by FAIR Health, in collaboration with the West Health Institute and Johns Hopkins’ Marty Makary.

Why it matters: Information about who is most at risk for severe coronavirus infections could help determine who should be the first to a vaccine, or scarce treatments, Axios’ Caitlin Owens writes.

• Yes, but: ‘There has always been some hesitancy to treat people with intellectual disabilities and people who are institutionalized as equal in terms of consideration for scarce medical resources,’ Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, told NYT.
• ‘There will be some balking and battling, on grounds that I would consider discriminatory.’

What they found: The overall mortality rate, determined by analyzing the claims of nearly half a million privately insured patients diagnosed with the virus, was -.59%.

• As many other studies have found, men and older patients are at higher risk.
• The vast majority of coronavirus patients who died — 83% — had a pre-existing condition. No children 18 or younger without a pre-existing condition died.

‘We knew COVID mortality was skewed toward chronic conditions, but we didn’t realized it was skewed this much,’ Makary said.”

Members seeking to learn more about the specific effects of the coronavirus on people with I/DD might be interested in the following two articles by the Disability and Health Journal:

• Impact of COVID-19: Nursing Challenges to Meet the Care Needs of People with Developmental Disability
• COVID-19 Outcomes Among People with ID/DD Living in Residential Group Homes in New York State