Alexis Pronovost is 23 years old and he just had a tough year. The young man, who suffers from an intellectual disability, has had to deal with a pandemic and health measures whose meaning and accuracy may be difficult for him to grasp. Its sky just fine-tuned thanks to a first dose of vaccine.

“It was a little complicated with two meters away and an interest in work,” the young man admitted to the TVA News team. Alexis works as an employee at a local grocery store. A job we had to mourn for a few months, and the anxiety became very excruciating. His mother, Natalie Dishin, said: “He cried at work, and cried when he got here … The vaccine allows him to feel safe.”

Sighs of relief have also been heard from Chambre en ville, a special resource in Troyes-Riviere, which welcomes adults with an intellectual disability. Five users living there received their first dose of the vaccine on Wednesday morning. “I have nice words to say to the CIUSSS MCQ, we’ve been well taken care of.” In fact, health authorities have taken measures to welcome customers with special needs.

People with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder are among the last group that were able to be vaccinated as a priority. For Martin Kwetty, professor and chair holder of Self-Determination and Disability Research at the University of Quebec in Trois-Riviere, it is time to take care of these clients. “Giving priority to immunization for people with intellectual disabilities also stems from the difficulty many of them will face in putting in place measures to protect themselves from the virus. The virus is something that remains abstract.” The researcher insisted that since understanding the current situation is more difficult for this part of the population , The effects on mental health can be significant.