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Emerg Infect Dis
. 2023 Jan;29(1):118-126.
doi: 10.3201/eid2901.221346.
Risk for Severe COVID-19 Outcomes among Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, the Netherlands
Monique C J Koks-Leensen, Bianca W M Schalk, Esther J Bakker-van Gijssel, Aura Timen, Masha E Nägele, Milou van den Bemd, Geraline L Leusink, Maarten Cuypers, Jenneken Naaldenberg
- PMID: 36573557
- DOI: 10.3201/eid2901.221346
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected persons in long-term care, who often experience health disparities. To delineate the COVID-19 disease burden among persons with intellectual disabilities, we prospectively collected data from 36 care facilities for 3 pandemic waves during March 2020-May 2021. We included outcomes for 2,586 clients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, among whom 161 had severe illness and 99 died. During the first 2 pandemic waves, infection among persons with intellectual disabilities reflected patterns observed in the general population, but case-fatality rates for persons with intellectual disabilities were 3.5 times higher and were elevated among those >40 years of age. Severe outcomes were associated with older age, having Down syndrome, and having >1 concurrent condition. Our study highlights the disproportionate COVID-19 disease burden among persons with intellectual disabilities and the need for disability-inclusive research and policymaking to inform disease surveillance and public health policies for this population.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; case fatality; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; data register; intellectual disability; long-term care; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; the Netherlands; viruses; zoonoses.