Vaccination in Argentina: they warn that people with disabilities are not a priority for the immediate schedule

The group of disabled people is large and heterogeneous, whether visual, auditory, motor, intellectual And this, linked to age, complicates the greater or lesser risks of being affected by COVID-19. In many cases the disability is associated with a basic illness and in others it is not, so these are differences that should be taken into account.

In people with disabilities to maintain personal care (such as hygiene guidelines, physical distance, use of a chin strap), for example, in people with intellectual disabilities or autism, it is difficult to ensure these preventive guidelines and routines, for which it is important to consider not only their vaccination, but also the inoculation of the support staff who assist them.

The National Disability Agency (Andis) reports that the death rate among the group of people with disabilities is 7%, about three times higher than that recorded by the general population.

Are people with disabilities included in the “risk groups” of COVID-19? Or are they part of the groups that need to strengthen care (such as pregnant women)?

In resolution 627/2020 MSAL, in point VII of article 3, there are people with a unique disability certificate (CUD). However, it is not noted that such a consideration is taken into account when making decisions. “At least it’s not mentioned in the stratification of immunization priorities established by national health authorities, nor among groups that need to scale up care. Given this, we understand that yes they should be incorporated and that it would be important for people with disabilities (PwD) to be considered within the target population in the vaccination campaign from the early stages., as well as the people who provide their care, ”he explained. Daniel ramos, President of the Argentine Council for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (Caidis).

What about vaccination?

According to the specialist, “it is necessary to extend the vaccination campaign, which has already started in geriatric residences, also to residences for disabled people and later to outpatient care centers for disabled people” and He cited as an example what is happening in this field at the international level, in particular in Catalonia, Spain: The Ministry of Health of the Generalitat, last week began to vaccinate groups of people over 80 years old and, at the same time, people with disabilities who live in residences or at their homes, there is the campaign of vaccination in stages It was structured so that in the first, we started to vaccinate people living in residences, the professionals who take care of them and the health workers who are on the front line, while in the second , which began last week, the rest of health professionals as well as essential service workers.

“The validity of resolution 627/2020 MSAL; it includes people with disabilities among the groups at risk and that is why we are calling for their inclusion to be urgently addressed at the earliest stages of the immunization schedule, ”said Ramos.

What is the general situation with regard to health policy?

For the president of Caidis, the group of disabled people “has been put back in the order of priorities of health policies and for months we have been complaining about the emergency situation in which the two disabled people find themselves., such as the team of professionals who assist them, the institutions that offer care and transport services. The situation is only getting worse due to the mismatch in tariffs which has resulted in a deficit since the previous administration, where adjustments have been received well below inflation. In 2020, there was no tariff update and on January 8, 2021, the joint resolution 2/2021 came out, through which there was an increase of only 10%, otherwise there are still national social works which still have not applied it.

El Consejo Argentino para la Inclusión de las Personas con Discapacidad (Caidis) data de 1985 y tiene como objetivo defender los intereses vinculados a los derechos humanos, educación, rehabilitación, prevención, asistencia, inclusión, promoción, salud y / o emergencia sanitaria de las People with Disabilities; advise and inform on disability and health policies; represent people with disabilities, their families and the institutions that compose them before the three powers of the State, public and mixed social works, self-sufficient entities; petition and manage before national, provincial and municipal authorities the sanction of legal and regulatory standards intended to improve or update specific comprehensive care programs for each disability and influence the determination of disability policies and NGOs, and represent the entities affiliated before official and private authorities.

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