Dear MPPs,
I am writing to ask for your support to prioritize COVID-19 third-dose vaccines for individuals living with developmental disabilities.
My name is Bryan Keshen.
I am the Chief Executive Officer at Reena – a non-profit social service agency dedicated to helping children, adults and senior citizens with developmental disabilities, serving the needs of more than 1,000 individuals and their families. I also chair a sector vaccine working group and sit on the York Region Vaccine Table as chair of the Western York Region Ontario Health Team.
The prioritization of persons with developmental disabilities for third-dose vaccines, along with other high-risk clinical groups, is a recognition of their heightened susceptibility to severe complications.
I am sharing an Ontario retrospective cohort study that illustrates that relative to adults with developmental disabilities, COVID-19 positivity rates were nearly 30% higher for adults with development disabilities and more than 40% higher for adults with Down syndrome.
