“COVID-19 Infections And Deaths Are Higher Among Those With Intellectual Disabilities

Scott Landes, associate professor of sociology in the Maxwell School, was interviewed by NPR for “COVID-19 Infections And Deaths Are Higher Among Those With Intellectual Disabilities.” Professor Landes specializes in the sociology of disability, and the majority of his research focuses on health and mortality trends across the life course for those with developmental disability. He says that “the high rate of death is disturbing, but it’s not surprising.” Professor Landes has been collecting data from various groups and says that “people with developmental disabilities who live in group homes have some of the highest death rates from COVID-19 in the country.” In fact, those with developmental disabilities are four times more likely “to actually contract COVID-19 than the general population, and then if they do contract COVID-19, what we’re seeing is they’re about two times more likely to die from it.”