A MOTHER who slammed the Scottish Government for “forgetting” people with learning disabilities amidst shocking Covid death figures has welcomed a major vaccine delivery change.
Jan Sproule hit out at provision for Scots with learning and intellectual disabilities as the Sunday National revealed this cohort is more than three times as likely to die from coronavirus as the general population.
Figures from the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory (SLDO) for the first wave of the pandemic also found this group was also twice as likely to become infected with Covid-19 and to experience a “severe outcome” resulting in hospitalisation.
The findings came after Scots author Ian Rankin revealed his son Kit, who lives in a care facility in Edinburgh which caters for people with learning disabilities, had not yet had his jag.
Sproule, whose 26-year-old son Peter has a one-in-a-million condition, accused the Scottish Government of having “put us to one side”, saying: “They couldn’t care less.
“They haven’t got a clue about us.”
READ MORE: Scots with learning disabilities at treble the risk of Covid death, study shows
Epilepsy Scotland told the Sunday National that all those with such conditions must get priority for the vaccine. Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon said that change will take place this week, when people with mild and moderate learning disabilities will be placed into priority group six.
Until now, only those with severe and profound conditions had been in this category. Unpaid carers will also enter group six, which will now amount to around one million people. It covers everyone aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions including diabetes, heart problems, and more, as well as those who have undergone an organ transplant.
At the daily briefing, Sturgeon said: “With the agreement of the chief medical officer we also intend to include people with mild or moderate learning disabilities in group six, although we will have some work to do to make sure we are identifying and reaching everyone in that category.”
She went on: “Group six is the largest group we will have covered so far.
“It will take some weeks to cover everyone in that group.
If you don’t receive a letter this week or next, don’t worry, we will get to you.”
Health teams will use data on benefits recipients and from GPs to reach all those eligible.
Sturgeon said authorities will seek other “proactive” ways to reach those covered by the change and make the process “as streamlined, as simple and as unbureaucratic as we can”.
Responding, Sproule, from Glasgow, said other families had thanked her for speaking out on their behalf. She went on: “The response I have had is amazing. If I have had anything to do with this change, it is even better. The announcement is very good news. If anything like this ever happens again, we have to be counted. It’s people we are talking about.”
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