Study: Individuals with pre-existing disabilities had long COVID at much higher rates than peers

Published by: KU News
Published on: September 3, 2024
By Mike Krings

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on individuals with disabilities. New research from the University of Kansas shows that this population is also experiencing long COVID at significantly higher rates than the general population, which exacerbates existing barriers to accessing care.

Researchers from KU’s Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies at the KU Life Span Institute and the Patient-Led Research Collaborative published a study showing that more than 40% of individuals with pre-existing disabilities who had tested positive for COVID-19 experienced long COVID, defined as symptoms lasting three months or longer. This rate is more than twice the 18.9% of individuals without disabilities who contracted COVID and experienced long COVID symptoms.

Research has long documented that individuals with disabilities face barriers to health care access and experience poorer health outcomes than their nondisabled peers. However, many studies during the pandemic have only asked about disabilities present at the time of the survey rather than whether individuals had a disability prior to the start of the pandemic. The research team compared data from the 2022 National Survey on Health and Disability, conducted by the IHDPS, to the Household Pulse Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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mask bans

Mask bans disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities

Published August 20, 2024

Published by: STAT
Published on: August 20, 2024
By Kaitlin Costello

Last week, a mask ban in Nassau County, New York was signed into law. If I lived just 60 miles east of my New Jersey town, I would be under threat of a fine or jail time every time I left the house.

I’ve been masking consistently in public since 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic began, because I have a kidney transplant and will take immunosuppressant medication for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, my lifesaving medication also makes me more susceptible to infectious diseases like measles, the flu, and Covid-19. Even when people like me are vaccinated against the virus, we are at higher risk of being infected and are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, including hospitalization and death.

The legislation in Nassau County and elsewhere primarily targets people who wear masks to hide their identity while committing crimes or during public protests, specifically against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Masks are defined as any facial covering that disguises the face, and facial coverings worn for religious or health reasons are exempt. But people like me, who wear masks for health reasons, are disproportionally affected by these bans even when they include medical exemptions.

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North Carolina

North Carolina wants to tighten mask restrictions. Disabled residents are concerned.

Published May 23, 2024

Published by: ABC News
Published on: May 23, 2024
By Kiara Alfonseca

Disabled North Carolina residents say a mask restriction that is under consideration in the state legislature would make it harder for them to access parts of their communities, pushing them back into isolation.

“This law says to them that you are not welcome in our community and we don’t value your presence to accommodate your need to wear a mask,” Tara Muller, a policy attorney at Disability Rights North Carolina, told ABC News.

House Bill 237, dubbed the “Unmasking Mobs and Criminals” bill, would repeal a COVID-19 pandemic exception that allowed people to wear a face mask in public. It allows exceptions for holiday costumes, rituals or ceremonies, theatrical productions, gas masks or employment-based usage, but would remove the ability for someone to wear a mask to ensure “the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.”

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North Carolina

Mask ban bill shot down in North Carolina House

Published May 22, 2024

Published by: WFMY News 2
Published on: May 22, 2024
By Blair Barnes, Tom Santaniello

The North Carolina House voted against a bill that would’ve banned mask-wearing in public Wednesday.

The Senate passed it last week as part of an effort to crack down on people who wear masks at protests so they can commit crimes.

Lawmakers in the House worried it went too far, saying the law may be unfairly enforced against people who wear masks for health concerns.

Leaders in the House and Senate will soon meet to try to iron out a compromise.

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North Carolina

North Carolina House pauses passage of bill that would ban masking for health reasons

Published May 22, 2024

Published by: The Associated Press
Published on: May 22, 2024

A North Carolina bill partially meant to address mask-wearing at protests was under review Wednesday after some House Republicans raised issue with the legislation’s impact on people who wear masks for health reasons.

The state House voted not to accept changes made to the bill by the state Senate that would remove a pandemic-era masking exemption for health purposes.

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human rights

Feds ‘committed to doing more,’ but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost

Published May 12, 2024

Published by: CTV News
Published on: May 12, 2024
By Spencer Van Dyk

Reaction from the disability community has been unanimous that this initial investment creates little impact for removing people with disabilities from poverty. It simply is not enough.

— National Disability Network

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Tag: people with disabilities