People with learning disabilities extremely vulnerable to effects of Covid-19

People with learning disabilities with COVID-19 are five times more likely to be admitted to hospital and eight times more likely to die compared with the general population of England, a new study suggested.

The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘The BMJ’.

The researchers said prompt access to COVID-19 testing and healthcare is warranted for this group, and prioritisation for COVID-19 vaccination and other targeted preventive measures should be considered.

Emerging evidence has shown that people with learning disabilities are at higher risk from COVID-19 related death compared with the general population. But results from existing studies on other COVID-19 outcomes are often complicated by factors such as deprivation and underlying conditions (comorbidities).

A lack of clarity also exists on the increased risk of COVID-19 deaths among people with milder learning disabilities.

To explore this further, a team of UK researchers set out to describe the risk of COVID-19 related hospital admissions and deaths among children and adults with learning disabilities in England compared with the general population.