Intellectually disabled people are 2.5 times more likely than other people to contract Covid-19 and nearly 6 times more likely to die from it according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst. It also found that ID is second only to old age as a risk factor. The results showed that those with ID were 2.5 times more likely to contact Covid-19, about 2.7 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital and 5.9 times more likely to die from the infection than the general population. As for the vaccine, the CDC did not include people with ID in their increased-risk categories, and even Massachusetts did not list them as a priority.
I would now be curious as to how many intellectual disabled people contracted the virus and/or died. I wonder if the CDC or any states even bothered to keep track of them. Since this pandemic began, I have always thought of the homeless and elderly but it never occurred to me about this other vulnerable population.
Joshua, have you seen any stats?
Yes, I have. Thank you for alerting me to the NEJM article.
Indian cities that had seroprevalence of 50-60% – Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi – are the same cities getting hit very hard by Covid-19 this month. This is worth investigating, as it suggests reinfections. https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1385941837895159811
Key quote from Dr. Rajkumar’s tweet thread: “If reinfections with really bad variants are involved, that’s ominous in terms of what it means for the rest of the world.” Pardon my French, but this translates into “we’re screwed if there are a lot of reinfections with really bad variants that evade vaccines.”
My wife’s concern all along.
Not to sound like an alarmist, but this “could” be the beginning of the END! I hope not, but something to keep an eye on.
The Mayans had 2012 as the end of the World. Perhaps they were dyslexic and it is 2021 instead.
Terrifying
Philip I am not sure what intellectually disabled encompasses.
Dr S. How are you feeling today?
My temperature went back to normal by the time I woke up and I thought “Well, that was it then.” A few hours later it started to spike up again. I took some advil and drank some fluids and it went back down a little now here I am 50+ hours later with cold sweats and a low grade temperature. It’s awful but I can get through it!
Oh dear. This is prolonged. So sorry. Mine was high from about 30 hours till 50 and then went up on the fourth or fifth night. My daughter is still having major headaches five days later.
As I’ve been telling them – better to have science’s vaccine than nature’s vaccine on that front. Especially when you hear the stories of the covid long haulers. One story I just heard recently was of the founder of Texas Roadhouse (the restaurant chain) Wayne Kent Taylor. He unfortunately ended his life because of the months long effects Covid had on him (including severe tinnitus.) There are many tragic stories just like that. So even though I have cold sweats and am achy I would do it again and recommend it to anyone but would tell them “Drink plenty of gatorade before and after you get the second shot! And take medicine if you feel the onset of any bad reaction!”
Your advice is excellent and your comment is as well. A friend told me recently about a teacher who is a long hauler….one of many. So very sad. I feel the very same about having reacted.
JPD, I don’t think we’re in an end of days scenario. But, as I’ve repeatedly said I’m worried about a number of variants – P.1 and B.1.617 – that could put us back at square one at a certain point. That is unsettling. I believe the vaccines work very well, and appear to do so against practically all variants thus far. But, it’s unknown how effective they will be against P.1 (limited evidence which shows diminishing efficacy) and B.1.617 (really no solid evidence yet). The indirect evidence from India and Brazil suggests there will be problems with reinfections, vaccine-evasion, and more virulence.
I am worried about our absolute lack of respect for the power of this virus. We are stuck in the mindset of getting back to normal. And that is the mindset that will be our downfall……to open all up, to end the mask requirements, to loosen distances to three feet…..in short to make our approach fit the scenario we want rather than understanding that we cannot dictate to the virus.
Totally agree. This back to normal kick is way too premature.
Sadly, in too many cases, the reasons behind the changes have nothing to do with science and far more to do politics and / or money. In his last presser, Baker did seem to say he isn’t setting a date but is listening to the science.
Early on in the pandemic Baker listened to Science.
As time went on, he listened more and more to republican bullshit and was was to premature with lifting restrictions.
Masks and social distancing will continue in this state through at least December 31, 2021. No way Baker will give in. It’s not part of his DNA, so to speak.
JPD. He definitely did on some. It is why I was glad to hear him say he was following science when asked about masks.
Hope you are correct, but I wouldn’t totally dismiss that.
Two days ago Ontario had yet to confirm a single case of the Indian variant B.1.617. Yesterday 36 cases of the variant initially discovered in India (B.1.617) were confirmed in Ontario. Canada does much more sequencing than we do. The variant is here, too. Guaranteed.
It’s probably too late now but perhaps cease international travel around the world. The 1918 pandemic there was none, other than soldiers returning home from overseas.
International travel should have ceased in January or at the latest February of 2020.
Did it? If so then why should there be variants from other countries here in the U.S.?
I said it SHOULD HAVE. Obviously it did not.
Sorry about that. Thanks JPD!
Indeed it should have.
Vicki, my interpretation of “intellectually disabled” is Down Syndrome, for example as well as others who have a lower than normal I.Q. (i.e. Forrest Gump 75 score out of 100). I have also heard of the term “mentally challenged”. I believe that the study is on younger people living on their own as opposed to seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s in nursing homes or with relatives.
Joshua, do you agree?
Sometimes I feel like I’m Intellectually disabled, even though
I am truly not.
Sometimes I feel “intellectually disabled” while watching Jeopardy, especially when it’s an answer I should have known. 🙂
Ditto here.
triple ditto here. There are some subjects I get all answers correct and others ZIPPO!
Thanks Philip. I wondered if folks who also see things in a unique way were also part of the risk group.
All Boston College students and staff will be required to vaccinate for the upcoming fall semester.
Covid in India – BBC report. You’ll notice the lack of proper PPE for healthcare workers. Many will get sick and die. The viral load must be very high in those hospital units. I said before that Covid is not as bad as the Spanish Flu. Well, I take that back for countries like Brazil and India where it’s impacting a younger demographic and is causing a calamity of immense proportions. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1386003707356192770
India is a densely packed country. Mumbai is near the top of the list for densely populated in the world. Even if you are younger if you get a strong viral load of covid I think it could be bad and if you are in a densely populated area like that you are probably being exposed to strong levels if you’re not being safe. Especially if you’ve been told “young people don’t need to worry.”
jpdave – I wouldn’t take what’s happening in India as necessarily a bellweather for the end times. Take into account all the different variables. The Indian health minister declared in March that covid-19 was “in the endgame” which is wildly ridiculous to say as it will likely be with us for decades to come as another variant of influenza’s/etc that we need to randomly pop into a CVS for a booster. (One of the reasons why I’m glad Trump is no longer president.) They’ve got a vaccine shortage. One of the vaccines the country produced has an efficacy rate of 78% (Down from a previous number after further studies.) There are just so many factors that led to a perfect storm for a ramp up there. We just keep doing what we’re doing: get vaccinated and stay safe. That’s all. If a particular vaccine is shown to not be strong enough for a particular variant they will roll out newer vaccines after testing to combat it and a booster shot will help.
I hope there’s not a variant that comes along disproportionately affecting young adults/children. If it did you’d see young anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers do a complete 180 on their opinions and then blame lawmakers for not protecting them from themselves.
Good comment.
There was a report recently….from Joshua?….re many children being impacted. Darned if I can recall where. Brazil?
There are times I need to bury my head in the sand. Seeing that was one of those times which is why I don’t recall specifics. Even those of us who are vaccinated are not easing up much at all on what we have been Doing all along
I feel as if things are getting more worrisome when comments increase on this page. Going into summer, I am hoping covid will settle some
I just hope these vaccines won’t end up being for naught. It would be a crying shame given the difficulty just registering for an opportunity to get a shot not to mention the many who have suffered physically thereafter receiving it.
I think the vaccines have already shown they have helped with the number positives in older folks decreasing. As far as the vaccine creating some negative reactions, it is really a good sign.
C-19 for 4-25 is ready.
Comments are closed.
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Intellectually disabled people are 2.5 times more likely than other people to contract Covid-19 and nearly 6 times more likely to die from it according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst. It also found that ID is second only to old age as a risk factor. The results showed that those with ID were 2.5 times more likely to contact Covid-19, about 2.7 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital and 5.9 times more likely to die from the infection than the general population. As for the vaccine, the CDC did not include people with ID in their increased-risk categories, and even Massachusetts did not list them as a priority.
I would now be curious as to how many intellectual disabled people contracted the virus and/or died. I wonder if the CDC or any states even bothered to keep track of them. Since this pandemic began, I have always thought of the homeless and elderly but it never occurred to me about this other vulnerable population.
Joshua, have you seen any stats?
Yes, I have. Thank you for alerting me to the NEJM article.
Indian cities that had seroprevalence of 50-60% – Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi – are the same cities getting hit very hard by Covid-19 this month. This is worth investigating, as it suggests reinfections. https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/1385941837895159811
Key quote from Dr. Rajkumar’s tweet thread: “If reinfections with really bad variants are involved, that’s ominous in terms of what it means for the rest of the world.” Pardon my French, but this translates into “we’re screwed if there are a lot of reinfections with really bad variants that evade vaccines.”
My wife’s concern all along.
Not to sound like an alarmist, but this “could” be the beginning of the END! I hope not, but something to keep an eye on.
The Mayans had 2012 as the end of the World. Perhaps they were dyslexic and it is 2021 instead.
Terrifying
Philip I am not sure what intellectually disabled encompasses.
Dr S. How are you feeling today?
My temperature went back to normal by the time I woke up and I thought “Well, that was it then.” A few hours later it started to spike up again. I took some advil and drank some fluids and it went back down a little now here I am 50+ hours later with cold sweats and a low grade temperature. It’s awful but I can get through it!
Oh dear. This is prolonged. So sorry. Mine was high from about 30 hours till 50 and then went up on the fourth or fifth night. My daughter is still having major headaches five days later.
As I’ve been telling them – better to have science’s vaccine than nature’s vaccine on that front. Especially when you hear the stories of the covid long haulers. One story I just heard recently was of the founder of Texas Roadhouse (the restaurant chain) Wayne Kent Taylor. He unfortunately ended his life because of the months long effects Covid had on him (including severe tinnitus.) There are many tragic stories just like that. So even though I have cold sweats and am achy I would do it again and recommend it to anyone but would tell them “Drink plenty of gatorade before and after you get the second shot! And take medicine if you feel the onset of any bad reaction!”
Your advice is excellent and your comment is as well. A friend told me recently about a teacher who is a long hauler….one of many. So very sad. I feel the very same about having reacted.
JPD, I don’t think we’re in an end of days scenario. But, as I’ve repeatedly said I’m worried about a number of variants – P.1 and B.1.617 – that could put us back at square one at a certain point. That is unsettling. I believe the vaccines work very well, and appear to do so against practically all variants thus far. But, it’s unknown how effective they will be against P.1 (limited evidence which shows diminishing efficacy) and B.1.617 (really no solid evidence yet). The indirect evidence from India and Brazil suggests there will be problems with reinfections, vaccine-evasion, and more virulence.
I am worried about our absolute lack of respect for the power of this virus. We are stuck in the mindset of getting back to normal. And that is the mindset that will be our downfall……to open all up, to end the mask requirements, to loosen distances to three feet…..in short to make our approach fit the scenario we want rather than understanding that we cannot dictate to the virus.
Totally agree. This back to normal kick is way too premature.
Sadly, in too many cases, the reasons behind the changes have nothing to do with science and far more to do politics and / or money. In his last presser, Baker did seem to say he isn’t setting a date but is listening to the science.
Early on in the pandemic Baker listened to Science.
As time went on, he listened more and more to republican bullshit and was was to premature with lifting restrictions.
Masks and social distancing will continue in this state through at least December 31, 2021. No way Baker will give in. It’s not part of his DNA, so to speak.
JPD. He definitely did on some. It is why I was glad to hear him say he was following science when asked about masks.
Hope you are correct, but I wouldn’t totally dismiss that.
Two days ago Ontario had yet to confirm a single case of the Indian variant B.1.617. Yesterday 36 cases of the variant initially discovered in India (B.1.617) were confirmed in Ontario. Canada does much more sequencing than we do. The variant is here, too. Guaranteed.
It’s probably too late now but perhaps cease international travel around the world. The 1918 pandemic there was none, other than soldiers returning home from overseas.
International travel should have ceased in January or at the latest February of 2020.
Did it? If so then why should there be variants from other countries here in the U.S.?
I said it SHOULD HAVE. Obviously it did not.
Sorry about that. Thanks JPD!
Indeed it should have.
Vicki, my interpretation of “intellectually disabled” is Down Syndrome, for example as well as others who have a lower than normal I.Q. (i.e. Forrest Gump 75 score out of 100). I have also heard of the term “mentally challenged”. I believe that the study is on younger people living on their own as opposed to seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s in nursing homes or with relatives.
Joshua, do you agree?
Sometimes I feel like I’m Intellectually disabled, even though
I am truly not.
Sometimes I feel “intellectually disabled” while watching Jeopardy, especially when it’s an answer I should have known. 🙂
Ditto here.
triple ditto here. There are some subjects I get all answers correct and others ZIPPO!
Thanks Philip. I wondered if folks who also see things in a unique way were also part of the risk group.
All Boston College students and staff will be required to vaccinate for the upcoming fall semester.
Covid in India – BBC report. You’ll notice the lack of proper PPE for healthcare workers. Many will get sick and die. The viral load must be very high in those hospital units. I said before that Covid is not as bad as the Spanish Flu. Well, I take that back for countries like Brazil and India where it’s impacting a younger demographic and is causing a calamity of immense proportions.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1386003707356192770
India is a densely packed country. Mumbai is near the top of the list for densely populated in the world. Even if you are younger if you get a strong viral load of covid I think it could be bad and if you are in a densely populated area like that you are probably being exposed to strong levels if you’re not being safe. Especially if you’ve been told “young people don’t need to worry.”
jpdave – I wouldn’t take what’s happening in India as necessarily a bellweather for the end times. Take into account all the different variables. The Indian health minister declared in March that covid-19 was “in the endgame” which is wildly ridiculous to say as it will likely be with us for decades to come as another variant of influenza’s/etc that we need to randomly pop into a CVS for a booster. (One of the reasons why I’m glad Trump is no longer president.) They’ve got a vaccine shortage. One of the vaccines the country produced has an efficacy rate of 78% (Down from a previous number after further studies.) There are just so many factors that led to a perfect storm for a ramp up there. We just keep doing what we’re doing: get vaccinated and stay safe. That’s all. If a particular vaccine is shown to not be strong enough for a particular variant they will roll out newer vaccines after testing to combat it and a booster shot will help.
I hope there’s not a variant that comes along disproportionately affecting young adults/children. If it did you’d see young anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers do a complete 180 on their opinions and then blame lawmakers for not protecting them from themselves.
Good comment.
There was a report recently….from Joshua?….re many children being impacted. Darned if I can recall where. Brazil?
There are times I need to bury my head in the sand. Seeing that was one of those times which is why I don’t recall specifics. Even those of us who are vaccinated are not easing up much at all on what we have been Doing all along
I feel as if things are getting more worrisome when comments increase on this page. Going into summer, I am hoping covid will settle some
I just hope these vaccines won’t end up being for naught. It would be a crying shame given the difficulty just registering for an opportunity to get a shot not to mention the many who have suffered physically thereafter receiving it.
I think the vaccines have already shown they have helped with the number positives in older folks decreasing. As far as the vaccine creating some negative reactions, it is really a good sign.
C-19 for 4-25 is ready.