People with Disabilities Have an Assortment of Reasons for Being at Greater Risk for Infection
For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has headlined every major news outlet and cast its influence across every part of daily life. Due to the systematic inequalities already in place, the weight of the pandemic has been disproportionately carried by certain groups of people.
Over the duration of the pandemic, the plights of these disadvantaged groups have begun to gain media coverage, with stories narrating the livelihoods of poor frontline workers that have no choice but to expose themselves to the virus or narratives that showcase the damage of the pandemic on certain ethnic communities across the United States.
However, low socioeconomic classes and certain racial minorities are not the only groups disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The disability community makes up a quarter of the US population. Yet, the effects of the pandemic on the community are rarely covered by the media.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic effected the disability community?
A Lack of Community
For many people with disabilities, specialized programs that assist with education, social interactions, and employment are important and cherished parts of their lives.
For some people with disabilities, it’s not as easy as simply adjusting to virtual events. Many have difficulty learning how to use technology platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams and for some, it’s a difficult task to communicate online or sit for prolonged periods of time in front of a computer.
Limiting social interactions to virtual events has led to increased feelings of isolation and even regression within the community as those with physical and intellectual disabilities try to establish new routines.
The Reason People with Disabilities May Be More at Risk for Infection
While studies of the infection rates of COVID-19 in certain groups are ongoing, several studies suggest some disabilities may put people at greater risk of infection.
This is due to a variety of factors that can be broken down to disability, living circumstances, and cognitive ability to follow directions.
It isn’t surprising that a person with an autoimmune disease or one that has symptoms that impact the autoimmune system are at much greater risk of infection. The past year has shown that the safeguard against heightened risk includes diligently following public health information and limiting all unnecessary social interaction.
Some disabilities may not weaken the immune system but do require that a person live in a group care facility for treatment. One infection of COVID-19 in such facilities were seen to be disastrous over the course of the pandemic, with infections easily spreading from resident to resident. Yet, moving away from these group facilities isn’t an easy option for most.
Yet another group of disabilities, primarily intellectual disabilities, led people to have to difficulty understanding or implementing public health guidelines to protect themselves. Some find it challenging to radically change daily routines to encompass masks, frequent sanitization, and social distancing.
The trouble with the disability community is that there is not just one way the pandemic can lead to greater infection risks. Instead, there is a variety of reasons that stem from the unique individual circumstances of a person with a disability. Perhaps more so than any other group disproportionately affected by COVID-19, legislation and guidelines must be crafted with every individual in mind.
Every person within the disability community may react to COVID-19 differently and be more at risk of infection or symptoms of depression for an assortment of reasons.
Want to read the article this blog post was based off? See https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-pandemic-isnt-over-particularly-for-people-with-disabilities-202105252464
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