The Proposal is that people with learning disabilities go to the front of the queue for COVID vaccination.

Why? 6 times as many people with learning disabilities died as the general population from COVID in the first wave. Six times as many[1].

This shows that people with a learning disability are at significant risk from COVID-19. The impact is being felt at a younger age than in the wider population. Many are already at an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, many have other long term health conditions.

Rapid access to vaccines could be key to saving lives. They are a priority with flu vaccinations now and many of the risk factors are similar. Yet, people with learning disabilities do not currently feature in the priorities for vaccination.

There are 250,000 people with learning disabilities on GP lists in England. A small number relative to the 10 million older people due to be prioritised.

The proposal is simple – that people with learning disabilities registered with their GP are prioritised in the queue for vaccines given their vulnerability to COVID 19.

[1] COVID-19: deaths of people with learning disabilities - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk