Wednesday, 15 December 2021, 17.00 CET, via Zoom
Speakers: Bianca Streng and Regina Lamberts
Translation: Croatian, Czech, French, and Ukrainian.
The Webinar’s recording is from 15 December 2021.

Individuals with Down syndrome are at risk for severe COVID-19, resulting in a higher hospitalization rate and increased mortality. The older population, in particular, is at the highest risk. The increased risk of severe COVID-19 has a significant impact on day-to-day life, resulting in restrictions and, in some cases, voluntary quarantine 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 effectiveness 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 these 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, and a 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 Down community about 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 the 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.

You can view the webinar here

The webinar is also available in Czech, Croatian, French, and Ukranian.