BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Did you know that over 500,000 people in Louisiana have diabetes?
That’s according to the Baton Rouge General who says the coronavirus has really hit those who suffer from diabetes.
BRG says, “A new study shows that people with COVID and diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2, have a three to four times higher risk of serious illness and hospitalization.”
Should People With Diabetes Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?
Dr. Eric Frusha of Baton Rouge General – Ascension took the time to answer some key questions for those living with diabetes during the pandemic.
Q: Were people with diabetes included in the vaccine studies?
Yes. The COVID-19 vaccine is the fastest vaccine developed in vaccine history. However, this does not mean that the researchers bypassed the security protocols or performed inadequate testing. Clinical studies have tested safety in adults of all ages, races, and ethnic groups, and in chronic illnesses.
The following information is provided by Baton Rouge General:
- The Pfizer BioNtech study enrolled 3,150 people with diabetes (8.4% of the study participants).
- The Moderna study included 2,858 people with type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes (9.4% of the study participants).
Q: Do diabetes medications affect the vaccine?
No information is currently available on drug interactions between an approved COVID vaccine and other drugs. However, the vaccine is not expected to interact with insulin or any other standard diabetes medication on its own. One thing to note: it may be helpful to avoid injecting insulin into your vaccine injection site for a few days after vaccination.
Q: How will the vaccine affect my blood sugar levels?
Since the vaccine can cause symptoms of the disease that can lead to high glucose levels, you should carefully monitor your blood sugar levels for 48 hours after receiving the vaccination. It is also important to stay hydrated. So far, people with diabetes appear to have few side effects and minimal effects on blood sugar levels.
According to the latest statistics from the CDC, 34.2 million Americans – slightly more than one in ten – have diabetes.
