Mass. Doctor on why type 1 diabetes is not on the list of mass. Comorbidities
Updated: 4:59 PM EST February 18, 2021
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ED: THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NOW ALLOWED TO TAKE A COVID VACCINE HAS DOUBLED, AND HERE TO ANSWER SOME OF YOU IS DR. TODD ELLERIN, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF SOUTH. It’s great to see you always, Dr. PEOPLE WITH AT LEAST TWO CO-MORBIDITIES CAN REGISTER FOR THE SHOTS. WE RECEIVED MANY QUESTIONS ASK WHY DOES TWO TYPE OF DIABETS ON THE LIST OF THE STATE BUT NOT TYPE 1, IS THE RISK DIFFERENT? DR. ELLERIN: That’s a really good question, and here’s the bottom line. It’s confusing, but there are 15 to 20 times more problems with type two than with type one, and patients with type two diabetes tend to be older and they tend to have more of the comorbidities, like heart disease or obesity SO IF YOU COMPARE THEM, YOU WOULD TELL PEOPLE WITH TWO DIABETS HAVE MORE SERIOUS RESULTS, BUT WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE TYPE 1 COME FIRST, THEY MAY BE OLDER, AND YOU MAY HAVE MORE RESULTS what i will do. MY PARTNER IS SITTING ON THE COVID-19 TASK FORCE FROM GOVERNOR BAKER. I will ask them to take this back because we always want quality improvement. ED: PERFECT. MARIA: DR., THANK YOU. WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR INSIGHT. SMOKER. WHY ARE YOU ON THE LIST AND WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THESE PATIENTS AFTER DEVELOPING COVID SYMPTOMS? DR. ELLERIN: All right. THE FIRST THAT I WANT TO SAY, EVERYONE IN THESE RISK GROUPS LEAVE YOU IN ONE PIECE AND DO WELL, SO WE TALK THESE RELATIVE RISKS. WHAT THE OBSERVATION STUDIES SHOW, YOU ARE HOSPITAL, AND SMOKERS HAVE WORSE RESULTS THAN NON-SMOKERS. AGAIN THEY ARE OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES, NOT PERFECT STUDIES. So far, the data does not mean if you are a smoker that you are more likely to be hospitalized. THIS IS THE DATA WE SEE ABOUT HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT. ED: So that’s another question we get. Is it okay if you recently got the shingles vaccine to get the COVID vaccine? DR. ELLERIN: THE ANSWER IS YES, BUT IN GENERAL WE WAIT TWO WEEKS AT THE END, IF YOU RECEIVE A TYPE OF VACCINE, THEY WANT TO WAIT TWO WEEKS. WHY DO WE DO THIS? It’s not that it’s not safe, but given that the COVID vaccine is new we don’t want to have any side effects from a vaccine and blame it on the COVID-19 vaccine so wait two weeks. ED: IS THERE A REASON SHOULD SOMEONE CALL FIRST BEFORE RECEIVING A VACCINE OR IS IT REALLY SAFE FOR EVERYONE? DR. ELLERIN: 499% OF PEOPLE WANT TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE. A patient called me today and they said they had ANAPHYLAXIS, the most serious form of allergy, from a FlU shot and they called these different mass hospitals and they said no you can’t get it because we have it YOU DON’T HAVE THE ABILITY IF SOMETHING HAPPENS. THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE IF YOU NEED TO CALL YOUR PROVIDER. Maria: How did you answer this patient? DR. ELLERIN: We’ll send her to allergy first and have a consultation, and we’ll get her a place to get her vaccinated. IDEAL IN A HOSPITAL. ED
Mass. Doctor on why type 1 diabetes is not on the list of mass. Comorbidities
Updated: 4:59 PM EST February 18, 2021
The number of people eligible for a COVID vaccine in Massachusetts has now doubled – and so have your questions.
The number of people eligible for a COVID vaccine in Massachusetts has now doubled – and so have your questions.
