Coronavirus crisis exacts toll on people with disabilities

[Judi Lynn]

Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press
Updated 1:26 pm CDT, Wednesday, May 6, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Even before the coronavirus hit, cystic fibrosis meant a cold could put Jacob Hansen in the hospital for weeks. He relies on hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to stay healthy because he also has cerebral palsy and can't easily wash his hands from his wheelchair, but these days shelves are often bare.

For millions of disabled people and their families, the coronavirus crisis has piled on new difficulties and ramped up those that already existed. Many are immunocompromised and therefore more vulnerable to infection, but terrified of new coronavirus-era hospital guidelines they fear could put them at risk.

The leader of the U.N. said Wednesday the 1 billion people living with disabilities around the world have been among the hardest-hit by the virus. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for them to have equal access to prevention and treatment of COVID-19 as the pandemic exposes and intensified global inequalities.

In the U.S., a number of states are moving toward reopening businesses shuttered by the virus, but many people with disabilities are staying behind closed doors, worried that more interaction could lead to a wave of new infections.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Coronavirus-crisis-exacts-toll-on-people-with-15250422.php