| Adults with autism, adults with intellectual disability, and adults with mental health diagnoses have multiple risk factors for infection with COVID-19 and for experiencing more severe disease if they contract COVID-19, according to research from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University. Identifying risk factors for COVID-19 among autistic adults, adults with intellectual disability and adults with psychiatric diagnoses is important for prioritizing public health initiatives and clinical practice – including vaccination, testing, masking and distancing. Additionally, awareness of risks can help with decision-making in caring for these populations. Researchers used data from Medicaid to look at whether these groups were more likely to experience risk factors for COVID-19 and noted that though the Medicaid data examined is from 2008-2012, risk factors, such as living in a residential facility, are not likely to have lessened over time. |
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