Health care workers face potential COVID-19 exposure through their job. Data suggest that at least 200,000 health care workers have been infected with coronavirus as of November 2020, but this estimate likely vastly underestimates the number affected due to major gaps in data collection. Data further show that people of color account for the majority of COVID-19 cases and deaths known among health care workers, and that they are more likely to be in health care worker roles and settings that have particularly high risks of workplace exposure. This analysis provides greater insight into COVID-19 risks and impacts among health care workers and how they vary by race and ethnicity. It is based on a KFF analysis of 2019 American Community Survey and publicly available information on COVID-19 impacts among health care workers (see Methods for more details). It finds:
In 2019, there were over 18.6 million people working in the health care industry across a range of occupations and settings. Overall, 60% of health care workers were White and 40% were people of color, including 16% who were Black, 13% who were Hispanic, and 7% who were Asian. However, the racial/ethnic composition of health care workers varied across occupations and settings. Black and Hispanic health care workers made up relatively larger shares of aides and personal care workers and direct contact support workers. Black and Hispanic workers also accounted for larger shares of health care workers in home health care, and Black workers made up a relatively larger share of workers in skilled nursing facility or other residential care settings.
People of color account for the majority of COVID-19 cases and/or deaths known among health care workers for which race/ethnicity data are available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 200,000 cases and just over 790 deaths among health care personnel as of November 9, 2020. However, this estimate likely vastly underestimates the number of health care workers affected as health care personnel status was known for only a quarter (25%) of total cases. CDC further found that, as of July 2020, more than half (53%) of confirmed cases among health care personnel were among people of color, including 26% who were Black, 12% who were Hispanic, and 9% who were Asian. Data collected by states, the media, and other organizations similarly find that people of color account for the majority of COVID-19 cases and/or deaths known among health care workers.
Research suggests that health care workers face increased risks of coronavirus exposure and infection, with certain health care workers facing particularly high risks that disproportionately affect people of color. Studies show that health care workers are at increased risk for exposure and infection relative to the general population, with particularly high risks for health care workers who provide direct patient care, work in inpatient hospital or residential or long-term care settings, are in nursing or direct support staff roles, or do not have adequate access to PPE. Research further suggests that, among health care workers, people of color are more likely to report reuse of or inadequate access to PPE and to work in clinical settings with greater exposure to patients with COVID-19. CDC analysis of antibody evidence of previous infection among health care personnel further found higher rates of seropositivity among people or color compared to their White counterparts (9.7% vs. 4.4%), suggesting higher rates of previous infection.
A recent KFF/The Undefeated Survey suggests that the pandemic is taking a disproportionate toll on health care workers, especially Black health care workers and their families. It finds that health care workers are more likely than others to worry about being exposed to the virus through the workplace, to know someone who has died from the virus, to say it has negatively impacted family relationships, and to report someone in their household lost a job or experienced a cutback in hours or income due to the pandemic. Black health care workers and their families are particularly likely to report certain impacts, including knowing someone who has died from the virus and a negative impact on their ability to pay for basic needs.
KFF/The Undefeated Survey data also show that, while health care workers are more likely than others to say they would definitely get a COVID-19 vaccine, substantial shares express vaccine hesitancy, particularly among Black health care workers and their families. Overall, 54% of health care workers say they would definitely get vaccinated if it was available for fee and determined safe and effective by scientists, compared to 33% of adults who do not have a health care worker in their household. However, among adults who are health care workers or who live in a household with a healthcare worker, Black adults are much less likely to say they would definitely get vaccinated compared to White adults (24% vs. 46%), mirroring greater vaccine hesitancy among Black adults more broadly.
Together these findings highlight the importance of focusing on health care workers as part of response efforts to help protect against COVID-19 infection and spread. They can also help target response efforts and distribution of treatments and vaccines as they become available to prioritize health care workers who are facing the highest risks of exposure and infection. Targeting these efforts will also have important implications for health disparities given the disproportionate risks and impacts among health care workers who are people of color, which may compound broader increased health and economic risks that are contributing to the pandemics disproportionate toll on people of color overall. This analysis also shows that there remain significant gaps in data to understand COVID-19 impacts by industry and occupation. Increased data would allow for better understanding of work-related risks and outbreaks to help guide response efforts and resources going forward.
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The Southeastern Conference has postponed this Saturdays Texas A&M football game against the University of Tennessee to Dec. 12 after an A&M football player and staff member tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the programs total number of positive cases to three.
A&M officials said in a statement that the two people who tested positive had traveled with the team to South Carolina for their game on Nov. 7. A second player had tested positive prior to the South Carolina game.
A&M is the latest Texas college football program to face a schedule change as college athletic programs across the country struggle to keep student athletes COVID-19 free throughout the season. The SEC also postponed this Saturdays game between Louisiana State University and the University of Alabama due to COVID-19 cases within LSUs program.
The nature of away game travel (flights, meals, lodging, locker room, etc.) naturally leads to an increase in the number of student-athletes, coaches and staff who meet the criteria for mandatory quarantine based on contact tracing guidelines, Ross Bjork, Texas A&M's athletics director, said in a statement. We are asking everyone around our university community to stay vigilant and follow all of the safety protocols and best practices as we approach the end of the fall sports seasons.
Jimbo Fisher, A&Ms head football coach, said the positive tests and increased number of players forced to quarantine put the roster below the SEC threshold to compete. This year, the conference required teams to have at least 53 scholarship players available to play a game. Fisher had announced on a media call Monday that he paused the teams practice Monday afternoon after they received the positive test results.
First, and foremost, is the health and safety of our players in our football program. I would never jeopardize their well-being and we will continue to follow all protocols, said Fisher in a statement. We look forward to getting back out there because our team has been practicing and playing well.
The fall football season has been littered with cancellations and postponements as college athletes test positive for the virus or are forced to quarantine due to exposure, disrupting schedules and travel. Each cancellation is tough news for athletic programs that depend heavily on ticket revenues from football games and have already taken a financial hit due to lower occupancy requirements and additional safety costs related to the pandemic.
Texas A&Ms overall positivity rate, which has remained fairly low throughout the semester, has nearly doubled to 8.1% since Halloween. The university also reported two new COVID-19 clusters among students in the Artillery Band of the Fightin Texas Aggie Band and another among Emergency Medical Services staff. The university says both clusters were traced to off campus social events.
On Monday evening, university officials strongly encouraged all students living on campus to get tested and discouraged visitors to dorms. Starting Wednesday, all gatherings of more than 10 people must be approved by a dean, vice president or provost.
Student athletes across Texas have tested positive at various points of the season and a handful of football teams have had to postpone games already this season. In June, 13 University of Texas at Austin athletes tested positive for COVID-19. Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University postponed a game in early September. Baylor University has had to postpone a game and briefly paused football-related activities to stop the spread of the virus.
The University of North Texas postponed its Oct. 31 game against the University of Texas at El Paso due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in El Paso that has not subsided. At the time, UTEP President Heather Wilson expressed disappointment in the decision, but within days UTEP officials urged students and faculty to avoid coming to campus for two weeks due to the rising cases, closing the Student Recreation Center and suspending on-campus dining services.
Three of UTEPs last four games have been postponed or cancelled because of COVID-19 issues with their opponent. They're scheduled to play the University of Texas at San Antonio on Saturday.
Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Baylor University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at El Paso have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Tennessee areas where mask requirements were instituted over the summer have substantially lower death rates due to COVID-19 as compared to areas without mask requirements, according to new analysis by Vanderbilt Department of Health Policy researchers.
The analysis, led by John Graves, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Health Economic Modeling, finds that early adopting counties saw their death rate begin to decline by late July, while later adopting counties saw declines in August and September. Non-adopting counties continue to see death rates rise, the researchers found.
This analysis shows that strategies, including but not limited to masking while in contact with others, can have real impact on peoples lives, Graves said in a news release. Mask mandates are associated with greater mask wearing and other behaviors like limiting close contacts with others, and the combined impact is clear and substantial.
The study uses data on COVID-19 deaths by date of death, not the date the death was reported, which can lag the actual date of death by several weeks. The researchers note that due to these lags, Tennessees current view of COVID-19 deaths really only represents a clear picture of deaths through the first week of October - meaning that many of the deaths reported each day are tied to infections that occurred in September, before the recent surge in cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee.
Mask mandates work, Mask mandates are associated with lower death rates. Weve already shown they are associated with lower hospitalizations rates, Vanderbilt Medical Research Professor Melissa McPheeters said. So, if we can put mask mandates in place that encourage and support people to wear masks, which we know helps and really go a long way in tackling this COVID-19.
The analysis expands on other analyses that Graves, along with Melinda Buntin, PhD, Mike Curb Chair of the Department of Health Policy, and Melissa McPheeters, PhD, MPH, research professor of Health Policy and Biomedical Informatics, have conducted about the implementation of mask requirements and hospitalizations.
As of Nov. 10, approximately 63% of the states residents lived in areas where a mask is required, while the remaining 37% lived in an area where masks were never required (8%) or lived in areas where mask requirements expired.
Death rates were initially higher in the areas where masks became required, the analysis found. In the weeks after mask requirements were put in place, areas where masks were required showed sharper declines in deaths per 100,000 population compared to areas where masks were never required.
Deaths are a lagging indicator, following increases in cases and then hospitalizations, so we expect any intervention such as a mask requirement to take some time to demonstrate effectiveness. Rising rates of COVID-19 are a big ship to turn, and it is important to act early enough to be effective, McPheeters said.
As of the first week of October, there were more than four deaths per 100,000 population in areas where masks were never required and near or below two deaths per 100,000 in areas that adopted a mask requirement over the summer, Buntin said.
The good news, researchers noted, is that more than 80% of Tennesseans were reporting as of Nov. 5 that they are wearing masks, according to research cited in the analysis from Carnegie Mellon University. The analysis notes, however, that mask wearing may be inconsistent, especially when around close family and personal contacts.
Individuals may not understand the risk of exposure to friends and family and may let down their guard in situations where they are meeting in small groups with close contacts, the researchers concluded. Mask ordinances demonstrate leadership by sending a clear signal that behavior must change to mitigate spread of the virus.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Teachers in Nashville shared stories from inside their classrooms about educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This happened during Tuesdays Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education meeting.
Question is why should a teacher have to choose between losing our job, our health, our lives or what we know is best for kids? I beg you tonight to create a win-win situation for all of us. Whether it be spacing, cleaning, or planning, when it comes to the virus, we have to win every time. The virus only has to win once, right now we are losing, said Andrew Jackson Elementary School Physical Education Teacher Susan Floyd.
Metro Nashville Public Schools shared its COVID-19 report for the week of Nov. 2 through Nov. 8. It showed 214 staff quarantined or isolated with 52 confirmed positive COVID cases. The report also said 770 students were quarantined or isolated with 37 confirmed positive cases.
I think I can speak for many elementary school teachers right now by saying we feel very abandoned and betrayed. We fought so hard to support many of you but in return, weve been thrown under the bus, said first-grade teacher Amanda Baker. When we have over 1,000 people quarantined in the district we have a problem. Yet, the district is pretending that all is well, releasing reports that are not only inaccurate but not cumulative so they dont show the full number of people quarantined. The number of cases quarantined right now and cases are staggering and ridiculous. Many schools are barely functioning at this point.
Baker shared concerns about how in-person learning was impacting students.
How can it not be safe for some students but safe for others? We have classrooms that are at capacity with little to no distancing, kids sitting for hours with little to no movement to try and decrease the spread, Baker described. We have sick kids coming in daily showing signs of COVID. Do you know what its like to play Russian Roulette COVID style? We do. Some kids are sent home some are not. The safety measures are inconsistent across the district. Many times no one is quarantined and no parents are notified of the sickness within the classrooms and we pretend it didnt happen to not cause panic, but we know people are dying daily from it.
Gower Elementary School teacher Susan Saar was emotional as she told the board why she supported in-person learning.
Im not on the outside of having concerns for loved ones. I have a daughter with an auto immune and a sick mother and it affects me, said Saar. But its taught me adversity whips you in the face, but you should love life and you should not stop and I will not blame you if I get the flu and I will not blame you if I get COVID. But Im here to do a job you hired me for and its going well. I love my kids. Im sorry Im a little emotional. But thank you and think of them independently because my kids need me and I need them.
Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said district leaders have a goal of giving all students the option to learn in-person. However, she said based on key metrics in Davidson County they still cannot move forward with the districts re-opening plan for middle schools.
While I will be going back, half of my students will not be, so I am going to have to lose who did not choose that. It was chosen for them by their families. Were asked to make all of these changes, for what? said Oliver Middle School 6th grade teacher Nick Keel. We cannot guarantee this would be consistent, that this would stay this way all year. Were going to throw those relationships to the side. My question is do parents, students, teachers, realize if and when we return this year its not going to look normal. Were not picking up where we left off in March.
Teachers also expressed concerns over their own health and that of their families when teaching in-person.
I cannot protect my students myself and my family while I am in the classroom. I walk an exhausting fine line every day of wanting so badly to be with my students but also dont feel like I should have to sacrifice my life or anyone I love to do so, Baker added. What you are asking us to do as a district is inconceivable. How do you, as a district, create guidelines for reopening and completely ignore the guidelines set forth? This is not healthy. This is not OK, Im asking you to please hear me, hear us, we are in the classrooms, we know what happens daily.
Pfizer announced this week that their COVID-19 vaccine candidate has performed extremely well in their clinical trials, a reassuring sign that the months of investment and breakneck work on vaccines to protect people against the virus was going to pay off. That was never a sure thing immunologists and virologists were pretty sure itd be possible to make a vaccine that would block the coronavirus, but in pharmaceutical development, theres no such thing as a guarantee.
This success makes it as important as ever to double down on efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, which is currently raging out of control in most of the US. Back in March, when the pandemic was first picking up speed, public health officials stressed the importance of flattening the curve suppressing transmission so that the number of infections stayed at a manageable level. After it became clear that eliminating all cases of the virus wasnt going to happen, the goal was to keep the number of sick people from overwhelming the medical system.
Experts also stressed the importance of flattening the curve to buy researchers and doctors time to figure out how to treat COVID-19 and develop a vaccine. For the most part, people are better off if they catch the disease now than they were in March or April. More tests are available, doctors have more tools to help patients who are hospitalized, and theres more understanding of the progression of the illness.
Having a vaccine on the horizon supercharges the importance of keeping as many people from getting sick now as possible. The first people who get an authorized vaccine, because of risk factors like their job or age, probably wont receive it until early in 2021. Most people who arent first in line wont be able to take a shot until the spring or summer. But every person who can stay well until then is someone who might never catch the disease at all. Or, if they do, they could have a milder case of it than they might have otherwise. Cracking down with public health guidelines that can get people through to the winter, spring, or summer now has even more benefit.
There are, as always, caveats: Pfizer only released a small amount of information in a press release. We dont know how long protection from this vaccine could last, and we dont know if it stops people from getting infected or just stops them from feeling sick if they catch the virus. We should know more after more data is published. A vaccine isnt going to end the pandemic on its own, and good public health practices like wearing masks will be important after people start getting immunizations.
Despite the necessary cautions, the Pfizer announcement flicked on a light at the end of the tunnel. The apparent success of this vaccine is a good sign for the other vaccines in development drug company Modernas vaccine candidate is very similar to the Pfizer vaccine, so theres a good chance itll work, as well. Many of the others in development target the same area of the virus that Pfizer did, which is another sign that research went in the right direction.
The news, though, comes just as theres another mountain to flatten. COVID-19 cases are climbing to horrifying new heights in the United States. In the first 10 days of November, 1 million new people in the US tested positive for the disease. Nearly every state is trending in the wrong direction, the health care systems in many places are already completely overwhelmed.
It is time to flatten the curve once again. It wont be easy or popular after months of constantly changing restrictions, theres less appetite for strict public health responses like lockdowns. But keeping people alive and keeping our hospitals functioning is a critical reason to suppress the virus. Holding things together until a vaccine can relieve some of the burden is another.
The light is still months away, but its there. We only have to make sure as many people as possible can get to it.
CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, Dr. Kathleen Neuzil from the University of Maryland School of Medicine breaks down the next steps and challenges involved in getting Pfizer's 90% effective vaccine to the broader American population. Plus, after Monday's raucous trading session, CNBC's Kate Rooney dives into which investors were buying the dip in "stay at home" stocks like Zoom and Peloton.
Pfizer, BioNTech say Covid vaccine is more than 90% effective 'great day for science and humanity'
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday their coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 among those without evidence of prior infection, hailing the development as "a great day for science and humanity."
"I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla told CNBC's Meg Tirrell on "Squawk Box." "I believe this is likely the most significant medical advance in the last 100 years, if you count the impact this will have in public health, global economy."
Pfizer readies 'Herculean effort' to distribute coronavirus vaccine
Pfizer is marshaling a massive new cold-storage supply chain to handle the delicate dance of transporting limited doses of its coronavirus vaccine from manufacturer to any point of use within two days.
Experts say it will be a "Herculean effort" requiring several new technologies to work in flawless concert to safely deliver every dose of the drug. Pfizer said it plans to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization next week, when it has the required two months of safety data.
The vaccine will be formulated, finished and placed in cold storage in the pharmaceutical giant's Kalamazoo, Michigan, facility, its largest such plant in the country. During the shipment and storage, the vaccines must be kept at 94 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in order to maintain optimal efficacy. Each package can contain 1,000 to 5,000 doses.
U.S. allows emergency use of Eli Lilly's Covid antibody therapy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized emergency use of Eli Lilly's experimental Covid-19 antibody treatment for non-hospitalized patients older than 65 or who have certain chronic medical conditions.
The FDA said its emergency use authorization (EUA) was based on clinical trials showing that the treatment, bamlanivimab, reduced the need for hospitalization or emergency room visits in Covid-19 patients at high risk of disease progression.
It can now be used for treating mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults and pediatric patients over the age of 12, the FDA said.
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public
Pfizer campus in Groton on July 22. The pharmaceutical giant announced that early trials of a coronavirus vaccine are 90% effective.
A limited supply of coronavirus vaccine could be available for some of Connecticuts care providers and most vulnerable residents by early 2021 provided several key benchmarks, including emergency federal approval, are achieved by years end, a top executive for Pfizer Inc. told Gov. Ned Lamont late Monday.
The Groton-based drug manufacturer announced Monday morning that early trials of the coronavirus vaccine its been developing have been about 90% effective.
Early results also showed the coronavirus vaccines effectiveness is similar to that of long-established childrens vaccines such as the inoculation for measles. It still is unclear how long patients would remain protected by the vaccine.
A plan to manufacture at least five million to 10 million doses and possibly as many as 50 million doses by the end of December is moving forward, said John Burkhardt, senior vice president and global head of drug safety at Pfizer.
Neither Burkhardt nor Lamont could say late Monday how many of those doses would be distributed in Connecticut.
The vaccine, which Pfizer has developed in conjunction with BioNTech, a German pharmaceutical firm, requires two doses to inoculate one patient. That means enough vaccines to protect anywhere from 2.5 million to 25 million patients could be produced by January if Pfizer meets its projections.
Its good news, but its going to take many months to roll out, Lamont said during a televised news briefing at which he cautioned residents against relaxing social distancing and other safeguards. Dont take anything for granted.
COVID-19 infection test rates have risen steadily in Connecticut since mid-August. After remaining around 1% for much of the summer, the weekly rate now stands at 3.8% with nearly 500 residents currently hospitalized with the virus an increase of 94 since Friday. Another 27 people were reported dead from the coronavirus Monday, bringing the statewide total to 4,698 since the pandemic began.
A crucial next step to battle the virus, Burkhardt said, involves completing a detailed, early analysis of safety-related tests tied to the vaccine. No serious side effects or other safety concerns initially were discovered.
Pfizer hopes to take that safety data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of Novemberand seek emergency authorization for drug manufacture and distribution.
This process occurs very quickly, Burkhardt said, adding, I would expect weeks rather than months.
If granted, Pfizer then would immediately pursue federal approval for large-scale manufacture with the goal of producing about one billion doses enough to inoculate 500 million patients by the end of 2021, he added.
Despite the accelerated process, no corners were cut, and the company conducted efficacy tests while simultaneously planning for manufacturing. We followed this true-and-true methodology, Burkhardt said.
Meanwhile, a Lamont task force is moving forward with developing prioritization and distribution plans for a vaccine in Connecticut.
Dr. Reginald Eadie, president and CEO of Trinity Health of New England the chain that includes St. Francis Hospital in Hartford said that process isnt completed, but health care workers, nursing homes and elderly residents in general would receive top priority.
Because the coronavirus vaccine must be kept extremely cold, distribution also would hinge on facilities and agencies with the resources to store the drug safely, Eadie said. That most likely would mean relying heavily on hospitals and local health districts as the chief distributors of the vaccine, he added.
Pfizers work involves one of four vaccine efforts that are in late stage trials in the U.S., and one of 11 globally.
Technology trends driven by the coronavirus pandemic such as the shift to remote working will continue after a vaccine becomes available, according to the former boss of IBM.
Ginni Rometty, who serves as IBM's executive chairman after stepping down from the CEO role this year, predicted that digital technology will continue to transform the way businesses operate even as the world returns to some level of normality with the advent of a vaccine.
Her comments came on the heels of an announcement from drug maker Pfizer that its coronavirus vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 infections. Major stocks that benefit from people staying at home due to the pandemic like Zoom and Netflix fall sharply following the news.
"I actually don't think these technology trends are going to reverse themselves," Rometty told CNBC anchor Karen Tso in an interview for CNBC's East Tech West conference.
She added that remote work is "here to stay" and will become part of a "hybrid" model of working that sees some people working in offices, while others stay at home.
A vaccine "allows us to return to perhaps a bit of a more new normal," Rometty said. "But a number of these things in the hybrid way of working I believe will remain, and the digital acceleration will continue because people have now seen what is possible."
In addition to setting off a wave of telecommuting around the world, Covid-19 led to increased demand for digital health services and education. In many countries, teachers and doctors, as well as students, parents and patients, were forced to adjust to virtual ways of accessing school lessons and health appointments.
Several countries across Europe have reentered nationwide lockdowns in recent weeks in a bid to slow a resurgence in coronavirus cases. But some investors question the extent to which pandemic-linked trends in tech will continue if a vaccine allows a broader reopening of economies around the world.
"Years" of innovation that pre-dated the coronavirus let many businesses go digital at the start of the pandemic, but Rometty said there are "different paces of investment" when it comes to cloud computing a data structure that lets companies access information that's stored on remote databases rather than locally. Aside from IBM, cloud services are sold by rivals including Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Alibaba.
IBM announced in October that it will spin off part of its information-technology services business so that it can focus more on cloud computing, which is growing faster and has high margins. IBM shares spiked on the news but have since pulled back by about 10% from those highs.
Ginni Rometty in 2019.
Chesnot | Getty Images
"If you think about it, the world's only 25% into a cloud journey there's another 75 to go," Rometty said. "The reason that 75% has not moved yet? It's the difficulty of either refactoring those applications or modernizing them."
IBM, she said, is "squarely focused" on what it calls "hybrid cloud" technology that combines private and public cloud services and gives companies more flexibility around the services they require. The firm bought Red Hat, a major distributor of open-source software, in a bid to push that hybrid strategy.
IBM has trimmed its older businesses over the years to focus on the cloud, in an attempt to make up for slowing software sales and seasonal demand for its mainframe servers.
Rometty now serves as IBM's executive chairman, with Arvind Krishna taking the reins as the company's new CEO.
Over all, the death rate among all patients with Covid-19 was 0.6 percent. By contrast, 1.22 percent of those with developmental disorders and Covid-19 died, as did 3.37 percent of those with intellectual disabilities.
In addition to the high risk to people with developmental disorders, lung cancer and intellectual disabilities, people with spina bifida and other nervous system anomalies were twice as likely to die of Covid-19. So were patients with leukemia and lymphoma.
Chronic kidney disease, Alzheimers disease, colorectal cancer, mobility impairment, epilepsy, heart failure, spinal cord injury and liver disease were also associated with an increased risk of death.
The report is not the first to highlight the unique risks that individuals with developmental disorders and intellectual disabilities face in the pandemic. Scientists at Syracuse University reported in June that people with these disabilities who were living in group homes in New York State had far higher rates of Covid-19, compared with other state residents, and that their risk of dying was markedly higher, as well.
The population is uniquely vulnerable for several reasons. Many live in group homes or receive care from aides, therapists or teachers who must maintain close physical proximity in order to assist them. Between 16 percent and 20 percent live in congregate settings, compared with only 6 percent of seniors, said Scott Landes, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University and an author of that study.
Many are medically frail to begin with, with high rates of underlying health conditions, particularly respiratory problems. That makes them susceptible to pneumonia, increasing the risk for severe illness if they become infected with Covid.
Individuals with Down syndrome are more likely to have congenital heart defects; they may have less muscle tone around the neck and a larger tongue, increasing the risk of choking frequently and developing lung infections.
