Wednesday, 15 December 2021, 17.00 CET, per Zoom
Speakers: Bianca Streng and Regina Lamberts
Translation: Croatian, Czech, German, French and Turkish
Webinar’s record from 15 December 2021 is ready to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/edsachannel
Individuals with Down syndrome are at risk for severe COVID-19 disease resulting in a higher hospitalization rate and increased mortality. The older population in particular are at highest risks. The increased risk of severe COVID has a major impact on day to day life, resulting in restrictions and in some cases voluntary quarantine in order to avoid being infected.
Vaccination is important to protect this high risk group, but the impaired immune system in persons with Down syndrome might affect the effectivity of COVID-19 vaccines. Until now, the immune response to COVID-19 has not been investigated in people with Down syndrome.
In this webinar we will give a brief overview of the immune system in Down syndrome and of course, show the first results of the PRIDE study about the antibody response after COVID-19 vaccination in adults with Down syndrome. Besides this we will highlight the experiences of people with Down syndrome in this uncertain times, how did they cope with the COVID -19 pandemic and restrictions? The PRIDE study is supported by ZonMw, the medical branch of the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO).
Biography
Regina Lamberts is the Director of ‘Stichting Down Syndroom’, the Dutch Down Syndrome Foundation, member of the EDSA. Regina is a psychologist and, in addition to being a director, she is also an expert in the field of Down syndrome. From the start of the pandemic, Regina has collected information about corona and Down Syndrome. The Down Syndrome Foundation is at the center of the Downs community with regard to providing information on this subject.
Bianca Streng is a Medical Doctor and PhD candidate working in the respirator viral research group led by Louis Bont at the Wilhelmina’s Children’s Hospital (WKZ) of the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands. Under supervision of Dr. Joanne Wildenbeest, she has led the PRIDE consortium investigating the immune response of individuals with Down syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination, including premature aging of the cellular immune system.