As the Alberta government weighs who will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in phase 2 of the immunization program, advocates for the Down syndrome community are asking to be placed higher on the priority list.
“As they’re developing the phases and identifying who falls within each phase, we feel it’s really critical that individuals with Down syndrome are prioritized,” said Inclusion Alberta CEO Trish Bowman.
Bowman said the organization has asked the provincial government to include disability-related staff in phase 1A of the vaccine rollout plan and individuals who have enhanced vulnerabilities such as Down syndrome to be included in phase 1B.
Currently, the Alberta government is still in phase 1A of its immunization program.
“There’s fear and anxiety for lots of individuals and families around their vulnerability during this time,” Bowman said.
“We know the research that’s developing internationally is they’re not only at greater risk for contracting COVID-19 but also having severe outcomes — including 10 times more likely to die.”
The troubling figures come from a recent study out of the United Kingdom that studied Down syndrome as a risk factor for death from COVID-19.
Bowman said there are also other factors to take into consideration.
“The impacts of aging are (different) as well on individuals with Down syndrome,” she said. “They will actually show signs of frailty much earlier than the general population.”
“They’re experiencing the same outcomes for people who are over 65 years old at a much younger age.”
On Wednesday, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, was unable to provide specifics on who exactly would be included in Phase 2 or if people with Down syndrome would receive priority.
“We’re currently having discussions about what sequencing will look like in our second quarter in our Phase 2,” Hinshaw said. “No final decisions have yet been made.”
The push to have vulnerable populations prioritized comes as the federal government struggles to secure more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Thursday, Alberta’s health minister announced the province would receive hundreds of thousands fewer doses of the vaccine than expected.
“The federal government is failing Canadians,” Tyler Shandro said. “This is a grim situation that seems to be getting worse every week.
Even with the uncertainty, Bowman believes planning can still take place.
“I understand there are delays in the supply but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t put out the list of when supply becomes available. We will include these populations,” she said.
“We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for the science to be considered and factored into the phases of the vaccination.”
— With files from Kirby Bourne