COVID-19 infection differences among people with disabilities

People with disabilities may be at higher risk for COVID-19 infection and death as a result of their impairments and/or medical conditions, and systemic inequities and disadvantages. People with disabilities are also a very heterogenous group, with many people with disabilities being multiply marginalized. The aim of this study was to examine differences in COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination between people with and without disabilities, and to explore sociodemographic differences in COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination among the disability community itself.

To do so, we analyzed secondary United States Census Bureau data from 444,422 people (52,890 adults with disabilities and 391,532 adults without disabilities) about COVID-19 diagnosis, vaccination, and sociodemographics. Frequency person-weights were applied.

In this study, 19.3% of adults with disabilities were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the pandemic compared to 16.7% of adults without disabilities. People with disabilities were 1.20 times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than adults without disabilities. Among people with disabilities, the following groups were more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19: people with cognitive disabilities; cisgender women; Black people; Hispanic people; people with some college or associate's degrees; people with employer and/or private insurance; and people who lived in larger households. There was not a significant difference in vaccination between people with and without disabilities; however, there were vaccination disparities among the disability community.

Many of the people with disabilities who were more likely to face health care disparities prior to the pandemic were also more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 during the pandemic.