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People with learning difficulties are dying of coronavirus at a rate more than six times that of the general population, according to “deeply troubling” data that has prompted a government review.
A report from Public Health England (PHE) found that 451 out of 100,000 people registered with learning disabilities died after contracting Covid-19 in the first wave of the pandemic, when the figures were adjusted for age and gender.
As not all Covid deaths among people with learning disabilities are recorded as such, the true figure is likely 692 per 100,000, or 6.3 times the UK average, according to the report’s estimates.
Activists said the figures show that the government has failed to protect the most vulnerable.
The report found that Covid deaths among those with learning disabilities were also more prevalent among age groups, with much higher mortality rates among young adults.
People between the ages of 18 and 34 were 30 times more likely to die from the virus than their counterparts in the general population.
The higher death rate is likely to reflect the higher prevalence of health problems such as diabetes and obesity among people with learning disabilities, the report said. He also noted that some learning difficulties, such as Down syndrome, can make people more vulnerable to respiratory infections.
People with learning difficulties are also likely to have difficulty recognizing symptoms and following advice on testing, social distancing, and infection prevention, the report said. It may also be more difficult for their caregivers to recognize symptoms if they cannot be communicated, he added.
Minister of Assistance, Helen Whately, said she asked the Emergency Science Advisory Group (Sage) to review the findings and recommend further action.
Dan Scorer, head of policy at the cognitive disability charity Mencap, said the review “needs to look closely at why so many people with learning disabilities have died from Covid-19 and what it would have. had to be done differently. “
He said: “The government has failed to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens. Decades of underinvestment in social care have left most people with learning disabilities without any support for understanding the evolving guidelines on safety and access to testing.
“This, combined with the closure of the NHS for all but the most urgent care, has clearly had a devastating impact on people with learning disabilities and exacerbated already shocking levels of premature death and health inequalities.”
The professor. John Newton, director of health improvement at PHE, said: “It is deeply concerning that one of the most vulnerable groups in our society suffered so much during the first wave of the pandemic. We must do everything we can to prevent this from happening again. “
Shadow Care Minister Barbara Keeley has called for immediate action to address the problem. In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “People with learning disabilities deserve better than that, they deserve action to protect them from the increased risk this report shows they have of catching Covid-19. and die of it. “
The study looked at data from NHS England’s English Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) and Covid-19 Patient Notification System (CNPS), which records hospital deaths.
LeDeR received 623 reports of deaths among people with learning disabilities who were definitely or possibly linked to Covid-19 between early February and 5 June. This suggests a national total of 956 deaths after taking into account the underestimation.
The virus accounted for 54% of the deaths of adults with learning difficulties in residential care during the reporting period and 53% of the deaths of those receiving community care.
The number of deaths among whites with learning disabilities from all causes in 2020 was 1.9 times the number in the previous two years, the report said. For Asian or British Asian groups it was 4.5 times and for British black or black groups 4.4 times.
Whately said: “One third of the people with learning difficulties who sadly died lived in a residential facility. There are now regular checks of staff and residents in nursing homes and tests have also been carried out in assisted settings in high-risk areas.
“We also offer free PPE, and the joint committee on vaccines and immunization has proposed that those living and working in nursing homes should be at the top of the vaccination list.”
Newton said: “It is essential to practice rigorous infection control if you are in contact with someone with learning difficulties, whether they live in a nursing home or not.”
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