COVID-19: Groups call for dementia priority
By Lo Chih and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The government should make people with dementia a priority in the COVID-19 vaccine program, the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association said yesterday, citing concerns over their vulnerability to viral infection and complications.
Association president Lai Te-jen (賴德仁) said that inoculating people with dementia would help reduce the stress their families face, while helping to protect Taiwan from the virus.
Association secretary-general Tang Li-yu (湯麗玉) said that dementia is a form of cognitive impairment and those affected by it have trouble adapting to changes in their environment, including societal changes amid the pandemic.