Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities

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Individuals with disabilities are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and have higher mortality rates compared to those without disabilities. This is particularly true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, those residing in care facilities, and women with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities face heightened risks of mental health issues related to the pandemic, such as increased feelings of loneliness and isolation. They were also more likely to face domestic violence and abuse during the pandemic. People with disabilities are more likely to experience unemployment as a result of the pandemic and may require changes to the types of accommodations they require for work. Children with disabilities experience complications in their educational programming. Remote learning poses a host of challenges for children with disabilities, including disruptions to physical and occupational therapies and access to assistive technologies. [1]

Contents

Risk of disease

According to United Nations (UN) estimates, roughly 46% of individuals aged 60 or older have a disability worldwide, and about 80% of the world's disabled population lives in developing countries, where access to health care is more limited. Globally, it is estimated that between 19% and 72% of COVID-related deaths have taken place in care facilities, an environment in which persons with disabilities are overrepresented. [2]

Facing resource shortages and overwhelmed health systems, several entities, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN, and UNICEF, have expressed concern over disabled people's access to medical treatment for COVID-related disease and illness. [3] Several disability rights entities have expressed concern over medical rationing during the pandemic and have argued that such measures are ableist and discriminatory toward individuals with disabilities. [4] The vast majority of health care providers in the United States cannot use disability as grounds to ration care, as outlined both in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Affordable Care Act. [5] In response to these concerns, the US Office for Civil Rights issued a bulletin at the end of March 2020 asserting that medical rationing measures cannot discriminate against people with disabilities and other protected groups. [6]

Based on figures issued by the Office for National Statistics, from March through May 2020, disabled people constituted roughly two-thirds of all COVID-related deaths in the United Kingdom. The report also concluded that disabled women were 11 times more likely than their non-disabled counterparts to die of complications from COVID and that disabled men were 6.5 times more likely to die of COVID-related illness than their non-disabled counterparts. [7] People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at particularly high risk of contracting and dying from COVID. According to initial data from the United States, people with intellectual disabilities are four times more likely to contract COVID and twice as likely to die from the disease. [8]

Impact

Social

Previous research on pandemics has indicated that people with disabilities are more vulnerable to a host of social and psychological issues. [9] They are more likely to experience loneliness and isolation, which may lead to other poor health outcomes. [10] Women with disabilities and women who care for individuals with disabilities are at greater risk for domestic abuse and sexual violence during pandemics. They may also be unable to access reproductive care and may be more likely to experience socioeconomic disadvantages associated with the pandemic. [11]

Children with disabilities are also at higher risk for mental distress as a result of the pandemic and may also be at greater risk of experiencing domestic violence during the COVID crisis. [12] As of 2016, there were roughly 52 million children, age 5 and younger, with some form of developmental disability, and about 1 in 6 children in the United States, between the ages of 3 and 12, has a developmental disability. [13] Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, especially those with autism spectrum disorder, may be more likely to experience anxiety, stress, and other ill effects resulting from the pandemic. They may be particularly sensitive to changes in their daily routines, such as school closures. [14] Children with disabilities are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing serious complications from the disease. They may not be able to adequately socially distance themselves while interacting with others, or they may not be able to wear masks due to sensory issues. This may lead to further isolation for disabled children and their families. [15]

The rise of virtual gatherings has allowed some people with disabilities to participate in activities that were previously difficult to attend. For example, individuals with certain physical disabilities do not need to worry about whether a location is wheelchair-accessible when the event is conducted fully online. [16]

Employment

In the United States, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers must follow guidelines set out by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with consideration for COVID-19. [17] This means that employers must keep all medical information they gather from employees related to COVID prevention confidential. They must continue to offer individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations as well as take into consideration the accommodation requests made by individuals at higher risk for contracting more serious cases of COVID-19, such as those who are 65 years of age or older and those with pre-existing conditions. Employers may have to re-negotiate reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities based on the changes to work environments brought about by the pandemic, such as the prevalence of remote work. [18] In some respects, the expansion of "work from home" arrangements in many businesses has actually improved employment opportunities for disabled people. [19] [20]

According to the UN, individuals with disabilities are more likely to lose their jobs as a result of the pandemic and face more difficulty returning to work during the recovery period. [2] Individuals with long-term effects of COVID, such as chronic fatigue, may also face employment challenges. [21]

Visually impaired youth sharing his trauma about losing his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic because of an outstation issue—interviewed in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, September 2021

Education

As of April 2020, schools had ceased in-person operations in 189 countries, affecting roughly 1.5 billion children worldwide. [12] [22] Children with disabilities have faced a host of challenges related to remote learning. They have faced disruptions to the services they require as laid out in their Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and have struggled with many of the technologies used to carry out remote learning. Many types of assistive technologies, such as screen readers for the blind, are not compatible with the software platforms being used for remote learning. [23] Children with disabilities often require in-person assistance, such as various physical and occupational therapies, and most teachers are not trained in how to conduct education remotely for children with disabilities. [12] [22] Parents of disabled children are also struggling, as they are being asked to provide many of the services their children receive in school without the training or expertise to do so. [23] Parents of children with disabilities are also concerned about the risks involved in their children returning to school. Children with disabilities are more likely to have other health conditions that increase their risk of COVID-related complications. [24]

Vaccine access

For disabled individuals, COVID-19 vaccine distributions have raised some concerns. In many Western countries, such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, and across Europe, vaccine rollouts have been uneven, exposing and exacerbating many of the inequities disabled individuals face. [25] [26] [27] [28] Despite disabled people being overall more willing to be vaccinated than those without disabilities, they have received vaccines at lower rates. [29] This vaccination-rate discrepancy likely grew from non-standardized vaccine rollouts; in the United States, for example, each state was allowed to differently implement the vaccine guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [29] Similarly, in Europe and Canada, there were no specific guidelines in place that provided accommodations to disabled individuals. [26] [28] This lack of standardization and accommodation left many disabled individuals behind, unable to get the vaccine regardless of desire. [29] [26] [28]

A recent investigation into vaccine access in the United States conducted by the CDC cites access difficulties as one of the main reasons why disabled individuals are vaccinated at lower rates than the rest of the population. For example, many disabled individuals cite having trouble either getting to a vaccination location or making online appointments as one of the reasons why they have not yet been vaccinated. [25] To overcome these obstacles, the CDC has issued a set of guidelines with regard to vaccine distribution to disabled individuals. These guidelines outline changes that vaccine locations should make, such as making instruction and information available in both American Sign Language (ASL) and in braille. [25] Europe has also established similar guidelines. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</span> United States government public health agency

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaccination</span> Administration of a vaccine to protect against disease

Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating the body's adaptive immunity, they help prevent sickness from an infectious disease. When a sufficiently large percentage of a population has been vaccinated, herd immunity results. Herd immunity protects those who may be immunocompromised and cannot get a vaccine because even a weakened version would harm them. The effectiveness of vaccination has been widely studied and verified. Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases; widespread immunity due to vaccination is largely responsible for the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the elimination of diseases such as polio and tetanus from much of the world. However, some diseases, such as measles outbreaks in America, have seen rising cases due to relatively low vaccination rates in the 2010s – attributed, in part, to vaccine hesitancy. According to the World Health Organization, vaccination prevents 3.5–5 million deaths per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Influenza vaccine</span> Vaccine against influenza

Influenza vaccines, colloquially known as flu shots, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies from year to year, most provide modest to high protection against influenza. Vaccination against influenza began in the 1930s, with large-scale availability in the United States beginning in 1945.

Pox parties, also known as flu parties, are social activities in which children are deliberately exposed to infectious diseases such as chickenpox. Such parties originated to "get it over with" before vaccines were available for a particular illness or because childhood infection might be less severe than infection during adulthood, according to proponents. For example, measles is more dangerous to adults than to children over five years old. Deliberately exposing people to diseases has since been discouraged by public health officials in favor of vaccination, which has caused a decline in the practice of pox parties, although flu parties saw a resurgence in the early 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandemrix</span> Flu vaccine

Pandemrix is an influenza vaccine for influenza pandemics, such as the 2009 flu pandemic. The vaccine was developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and patented in September 2006.

Disability abuse is when a person with a disability is abused physically, financially, sexually and/or psychologically due to the person having a disability. This type of abuse has also been considered a hate crime. The abuse is not limited to those who are visibly disabled or physically deformed, but also includes those with learning, intellectual and developmental disabilities or mental illnesses.

Ableism is discrimination and social prejudice against people with physical or mental disabilities. Ableism characterizes people as they are defined by their disabilities and it also classifies disabled people as people who are inferior to non-disabled people. On this basis, people are assigned or denied certain perceived abilities, skills, or character orientations.

Discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS or serophobia is the prejudice, fear, rejection, and stigmatization of people with HIV/AIDS. Marginalized, at-risk groups such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, intravenous drug users, and sex workers are most vulnerable to facing HIV/AIDS discrimination. The consequences of societal stigma against PLHIV are quite severe, as HIV/AIDS discrimination actively hinders access to HIV/AIDS screening and care around the world. Moreover, these negative stigmas become used against members of the LGBTQ+ community in the form of stereotypes held by physicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic</span> Pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is a global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, and spread to other areas of Asia and then worldwide in early 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020. The WHO ended its PHEIC declaration on 5 May 2023. As of 18 January 2024, the pandemic has caused 712,626,736 cases and 6,202,362 confirmed deaths, ranking it fifth in the list of the deadliest epidemics and pandemics in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19</span> Contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in the United States</span>

In the United States, the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in 103,436,829 confirmed cases with 1,161,235 all-time deaths, the most of any country, and the 20th-highest per capita worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic ranks first on the list of disasters in the United States by death toll; it was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer. From 2019 to 2020, U.S. life expectancy dropped by 3 years for Hispanic and Latino Americans, 2.9 years for African Americans, and 1.2 years for white Americans. These effects persisted as U.S. deaths due to COVID-19 in 2021 exceeded those in 2020, and life expectancy continued to fall from 2020 to 2021.

Planning and preparing for pandemics has happened in countries and international organizations. The World Health Organization writes recommendations and guidelines, though there is no sustained mechanism to review countries' preparedness for epidemics and their rapid response abilities. National action depends on national governments. In 2005–2006, before the 2009 swine flu pandemic and during the decade following it, the governments in the United States, France, UK, and others managed strategic health equipment stocks, but they often reduced stocks after the 2009 pandemic in order to reduce costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Health control procedure against COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks or coverings, including N95, FFP2, surgical, and cloth masks, have been employed as public and personal health control measures against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In epidemiology, a non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) is any method used to reduce the spread of an epidemic disease without requiring pharmaceutical drug treatments. Examples of non-pharmaceutical interventions that reduce the spread of infectious diseases include wearing a face mask and staying away from sick people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on other health issues</span> Health consequences of outbreak beyond the COVID-19 disease itself

The COVID-19 pandemic has had many impacts on global health beyond those caused by the COVID-19 disease itself. It has led to a reduction in hospital visits for other reasons. There have been 38 per cent fewer hospital visits for heart attack symptoms in the United States and 40 per cent fewer in Spain. The head of cardiology at the University of Arizona said, "My worry is some of these people are dying at home because they're too scared to go to the hospital." There is also concern that people with strokes and appendicitis are not seeking timely treatment. Shortages of medical supplies have impacted people with various conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children</span> Overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children

A systematic review notes that children with COVID-19 have milder effects and better prognoses than adults. However, children are susceptible to "multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children" (MIS-C), a rare but life-threatening systemic illness involving persistent fever and extreme inflammation following exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Misinformation related to immunization and the use of vaccines circulates in mass media and social media in spite of the fact that there is no serious hesitancy or debate within mainstream medical and scientific circles about the benefits of vaccination. Unsubstantiated safety concerns related to vaccines are often presented on the internet as being scientific information. A high proportion of internet sources on the topic are "inaccurate on the whole" which can lead people searching for information to form "significant misconceptions about vaccines".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native American tribes and tribal communities</span> Effects of the viral outbreak on tribal communities

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native American tribes and tribal communities has been severe and has emphasized underlying inequalities in Native American communities compared to the majority of the American population. The pandemic exacerbated existing healthcare and other economic and social disparities between Native Americans and other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Along with black Americans, Latinos, and Pacific Islanders, the death rate in Native Americans due to COVID-19 was twice that of white and Asian Americans, with Native Americans having the highest mortality rate of all racial and ethnic groups nationwide. As of January 5, 2021, the mortality impact in Native American populations from COVID-19 was 1 in 595 or 168.4 deaths in 100,000, compared to 1 in 1,030 for white Americans and 1 in 1,670 for Asian Americans. Prior to the pandemic, Native Americans were already at a higher risk for infectious disease and mortality than any other group in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unequal impact on different racial and ethnic groups in the United States, resulting in new disparities of health outcomes as well as exacerbating existing health and economic disparities.

References

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  7. ↑ Webster, Lucy (2020-07-04). "'It feels like we're being abandoned and left to die'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  8. ↑ "COVID-19 Infections And Deaths Are Higher Among Those With Intellectual Disabilities". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
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  20. ↑ Kiesel, Laura; Peng, Jingnan (October 27, 2020). "For those with disabilities, shift to remote work has opened doors - CSMonitor.com". www.csmonitor.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  21. ↑ Spiggle, Tom. "Are Long-Term Coronavirus Complications Considered Disabilities Under The ADA?". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  22. 1 2 "Empowering students with disabilities during the COVID-19 crisis". UNESCO Bangkok. Archived from the original on 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  23. 1 2 Hill, Faith (18 April 2020). "Special Education Goes Remote in the COVID-19 Pandemic - The Atlantic". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  24. ↑ North, Anna (6 August 2020). "Covid school closures: what they mean for kids with disabilities - Vox". Vox. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  25. 1 2 3 "Vaccinating Older Adults and People with Disabilities at Vaccination Clinics | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
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  27. ↑ "Statement of ongoing concern - The impact of and responses to the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disability". Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
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  30. ↑ Hattie, John; Zierer, Klaus (2017-12-06), "I see assessment as informing my impact and next steps", 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning, Routledge, pp. 12–23, doi:10.4324/9781315206387-2, ISBN   978-1-315-20638-7 , retrieved 2022-05-01
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