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The GLOBAL COVID-19 & Down Syndrome Vaccine Tracker

Welcome to GLOBAL’s COVID-19 & Down Syndrome Vaccine Tracker (GLOBAL Tracker). Your calls, emails, and advocacy inspired us to put this information together to help our community figure out when people with Down syndrome are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine by state. You will need to scroll horizontally in our tracker to get all the information on your state.

Three vaccines are available in the US: Pfizer for ages 12 and up and Moderna or Johnson & Johnson for ages 18 and up. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one shot.(1,2,3) We are please to share that all states are now providing COVID-19 vaccines for those 12 and older, although there are a handful of states that are still struggling with supply.

COVID-19 vaccines are not yet available to children ages 12 and under. However, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could be approved by the FDA by the end of May 2021. More approvals should be coming for children as Pfizer has a pediatric study enrolling children 6 months to 11 years old, and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson both have active clinical trials testing vaccine safety in children.(4,5)

Additional Resources:

GLOBAL Updates on COVID-19 & DS | NEW COVID-19 & Down Syndrome Resource | Johns Hopkins Vaccine Tracker
T21 Research Society’s COVID-19 Vaccination & Down syndrome Tracker Around the World
GLOBAL Adult Care Guideline | Prenatal Testing & Down Syndrome | GLOBAL Membership

The COVID-19 vaccines are prioritized for the highest risk groups first, since they are more likely to have severe symptoms or even die from COVID-19. Research has shown that adults with Down syndrome who are forty years old or older are 4-5x more likely to be hospitalized  and 10x more likely to die due to COVID-19.(6) In December 2020, the CDC added people with Down syndrome to their list of high-risk categories.(7) The CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine task force has recommended that people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), including those with Down syndrome, should receive the vaccine in phase 1C.(8) At GLOBAL, we believe this is the latest people with Down syndrome should be prioritized. We hope this information will help you advocate for vaccine prioritization for those with Down syndrome in your state, as appropriate.

To be clear, while GLOBAL is actively advocating with our government for people with Down syndrome to be prioritized in the earliest phases, we acknowledge and support the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines are optional for individuals and families. Please contact us with your questions and/or suggestions at info@globaldownsyndrome.org.

Important Notice

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s employees and/or volunteers are NOT acting as your medical professional or attorney. Responses you receive via electronic mail, phone, or in any other manner DO NOT create or constitute a doctor-patient or attorney-client relationship between you and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL), or any employee of, or other person associated with, Global.

Information received from GLOBAL’s employees or volunteers, or from this website, should NOT be considered a substitute for the advice of a medical professional or lawyer. GLOBAL DOES NOT provide any medical or legal advice. You should consult with your own doctor or lawyer for medical or legal advice. This website is a general service that provides information over the internet. The information contained on this website is general information and should not be construed as medical advice to be applied to any specific factual situations.

References

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Updated January 12, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. Updated January 6, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/moderna-covid-19-vaccine

  3. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Third COVID-19 Vaccine. Updated February 27, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-issues-emergency-use-authorization-third-covid-19-vaccine
  4. Healthline. Pfizer, BioNTech Seek Emergency FDA Authorization for COVID-19 Vaccine for 12- to 15-Year-Olds. April 12, 2021. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/pfizer-biontech-seek-emergency-fda-authorization-for-covid-19-vaccine-for-12-to-15-year-olds
  5. Pfizer and BioNTech Request Regulatory Agencies Expand Emergency Use of Their COVID-19 Vaccine to Adolescents. April 9, 2021. https://cdn.pfizer.com/pfizercom/2021-04/EUA-12-15yo-Statement-9-April-2021.pdf?VersionId=Vg2h9d1M1XTo58jO8UIogPxXeLcn27cH
  6. Clift AK, Coupland CAC, Keogh RH, Hemingway H, & Hippisley-Cox J (2020) COVID-19 Mortality Risk in Down Syndrome: Results from a Cohort Study of 8 Million Adults. Ann Intern Med.
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with Certain Medical Conditions. Updated December 29, 2020.  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine Considerations for People with Disabilities. Updated February 17, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/disabilities.html