Disability - The Facts
From the Office for National Statistics
In a survey carried out in July 2020 (figures for non-disabled in brackets where provided):
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75% of disabled people said they were “very worried” or “somewhat worried” about the effect that the coronavirus was having on their life.
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25% (13%) were most concerned about the impact on their well-being.
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13% (3%) were most concerned about access to healthcare and treatment.
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25% (7%) receiving medical care before the pandemic said they were currently receiving treatment for only some of their conditions.
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45% of disabled people reported high anxiety.
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46% (18%) say that the pandemic has worsened their mental health.
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42% (29%) are feeling lonely.
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36% (25%) say they spend too much time alone.
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25% (8%) feel like a burden on others, or have no one to talk to about their worries.
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40% (29%) had not met up with other people to socialise.
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9% (3%) are feeling very unsafe when outside their home.
From Public Health England
People with learning disabilities were up to six times more likely to die from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, analysis shows. A report from Public Health England (PHE) found the death rate for those with a learning disability was 30 times higher in the 18-34 age group. Mencap said the government had “failed to protect” a group already experiencing health inequalities. Social Care Minister Helen Whately has announced a review of the findings. (Reported by the BBC 13 November 2020.)
PHE Covid-19 Learning Disabilities Mortality Report
Risk of death over three times greater for more severely disabled people
As reported in the Daily Mirror on 11 February 2021, disabled people made up 6 in 10 Covid deaths last year. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that of the 50,888 deaths from January 24 2020 to 20 November 2020, 30,296 were disabled people – 59.5% whereas disabled people made up only 17.2% percent of the study population.
Richard Kramer, chief executive of Sense, quoted in the Independent said disabled people had been “largely forgotten” during the pandemic and that cuts in social care support affecting those living independently had left disabled people at greater risk.
ONS researchers said no single factor explains the considerably raised risk among disabled people – saying the type of residence, socio-economic and geographical circumstances, and pre-existing health conditions all play a part.
Mehrunisha Suleman, senior research fellow at the Health Foundation, said the latest figures showed current measures to protect disabled people “are not enough” and that there was “an urgent need for more and better support”. She said: “Disabled people are more likely to have one or more long-term health conditions, which means they are at greater risk of suffering severe symptoms if they get Covid-19. “However, as well as protecting disabled people from exposure to the virus, measures must account for the potential negative effects of lockdown and shielding.”
