More than 460 people with a learning disability have died from coronavirus in just eight weeks since the start of the outbreak in England.
New data shows between the 16 March and 10 May 1,029 people with a learning disability died in England, with 45 per cent, 467, linked to coronavirus.Overall the number of deaths during the eight weeks is 550 more than would be expected when compared to the same period last year.
The charity Mencap warned people with a learning disability were “being forgotten in this crisis” and called for action to tackle what it said could be “potentially discriminatory practice.”
It highlighted the percentage of Covid-19 related deaths among learning disabled people was higher than those in care homes, where the proportion of Covid-19 deaths was 31 per cent for the same period.
The data has been published after an outcry over the lack of transparency about the impact of Covid-19 on mental health patients and people with a learning disability or autism.
Source: The Independent, 19 May 2020
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