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COVID Information Provided by National Down Syndrome Congress

Dear NDSC Members,

We have received many calls and emails with questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. NDSC, following the lead of the trusted experts at the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, and in agreement with Dr. Fauci, recommend people with Down Syndrome receive the vaccines.

In December, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) added those with Down syndrome to the list of People with Certain Medical Conditions at increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. A recent Science Magazine report suggests that people with Down syndrome are five times more likely to be hospitalized with severe illness and ten times more likely to die from complications from COVID-19.  

To address the many questions, we have created FAQ Fact Sheets in both English and Spanish about the vaccine, as well as a plain language infographic that can be found in the NDSC COVID-19 Resource Library. We are also working with our valued national partners on an updated comprehensive, medically-reviewed COVID-19/Down syndrome information document, which should be released later this month. In the meantime, if you have additional questions or feel that you or a loved one may have COVID-19, we recommend that you consult your physician as they are most familiar with your or your loved one's health care.

Decisions regarding distribution are generally being made at the state level, but many distribution plans are being carried out at the county or local level and schedules are changing almost daily. Your state's Department of Health can tell you when people with Down syndrome are scheduled to get the vaccine.

NDSC has been advocating for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), their caregivers, and support personnel to be given priority in vaccine allocation and ensure that vaccine allocation is done in an equitable, accessible way.

If we may be of assistance, please email info@ndsccenter.org or call the NDSC National Center at 770-604-9500.  You can also stay up to date by following us on the NDSC Facebook or the NDSC Policy Facebook page.

NDSC Contact Information
National Down Syndrome Congress
30 Mansell Court, Suite 108
Roswell, GA 30076
800.232.6372
http://ndsccenter.org