Update from ODDS Director Lilia Teninty: COVID-19 and rising mortality rates

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Sept. 27, 2021

To: ODDS Partners and Providers

From: Lilia Teninty, Director, Office of Developmental Disabilities Services

Subject: COVID-19 and rising mortality rates

The Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) recently held webinars for providers on the new Oregon Health Authority healthcare worker rule vaccination requirements.

As part of the webinars, we asked Dr. Dawn Mautner, a senior health advisor with the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Unit, to speak about the impacts of COVID-19, particularly regarding the extremely contagious delta variant.

Dr. Mautner’s presentation is now online and I highly encourage everyone in the I/DD service system to view or listen to the video. Dr. Mautner answered questions from I/DD adult foster home and group home providers. She also presented some alarming statistics, particularly regarding the rising rate of serious COVID-19 infections and death in younger people throughout Oregon. The pediatric data for youth younger than 18 is available online.

These statistics are also true in the intellectual and developmental disabilities system, as the delta variant has taken hold in our communities. More Oregonians with I/DD died in August 2021 than in January, February, March and April 2021 combined.

Before the delta variant, the average age of death in the I/DD system was 66. Now the average age is 40.

Regardless of age, every death of someone with I/DD is a tragedy. We know from national data that people with I/DD are more likely to have severe illness or death if they get COVID-19. Therefore, it is more important than ever to get vaccinated to protect our families, friends, and the people in our service system. Vaccine information and resources are available.

Please help us in supporting people with I/DD to be safe and healthy. Thank you as always for your hard work and efforts.