Move Illinoisan Adults with Down Syndrome to Phase 1B for COVID-19 Vaccination!
Move Illinoisan Adults with Down Syndrome to Phase 1B for COVID-19 Vaccination!
Why this petition matters
In December 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added Down syndrome as a condition that increases the risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. The CDC defines severe illness as, “hospitalization, admission to the ICU, intubation or mechanical ventilation, or death.”
Several studies have been conducted that have shown this increased risk:
- COVID-19 Mortality Risk in Down Syndrome: Results From a Cohort Study Of 8 Million Adults
- COVID-19 Hospitalization is More Frequent and Severe in Down Syndrome and Affects Patients a Decade Younger
While some states have already moved to vaccinate adults with Down syndrome in phase 1B — making them eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines now — the Illinois Department of Public Health has not.
We are asking the State of Illinois to move adults with Down syndrome from phase 1C to phase 1B, due to their significant risk of severe illness and death from the virus that causes COVID-19. Please support the health and well-being of the Down syndrome community by signing and sharing this petition!