Parents of children with disabilities concerned with state's COVID-19 vaccine plan

JACKSONVILLE, Onslow County — North Carolina's revised COVID-19 vaccination plan is raising questions for some people.

Parents of children with disabilities like Mike Wetzel are concerned their children are not higher on the list for receiving the vaccine.

Adults with one chronic condition fall under Phase 2, but those under 18 are not mentioned.

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Wetzel said it is unclear if his step-daughter Kayla, who has Down syndrome, even qualifies for Phase 2 as an adult with a chronic condition.

"It's kind of disturbing, a little bit," he said. "A lot of the children with Down syndrome, autism, they have the underlying factors."

Many with Down syndrome suffer from conditions such as respiratory and heart disease. According to one study by the Wall Street Journal, they are -- on average -- more than 2.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19.

Wetzel said he hopes younger children with disabilities are moved up to Phase 2 of vaccine distribution and that Kayla qualifies to receive it earlier.