1.Diabetes does not increase your chances of catching coronavirus
2.The majority of people who do get coronavirus – whether they have diabetes or not – will have mild symptoms and don’t need to go into hospital
3.People with diabetes, including those with type 1, type 2, gestational and other types, are vulnerable to developing a severe illness if they do get coronavirus, but the way it affects you can vary from person to person.
4.In children with diabetes, the risk of becoming seriously ill with coronavirus is very low
5.Being ill with COVID can make your blood sugar go HIGH. Your body tries to fight the illness by releasing stored glucose (sugar) into your blood stream to give you energy.
But your body can’t produce enough or any insulin to cope with this, so your blood sugars rise. This means you’re more at risk of having serious blood sugar highs and lows, potentially leading to DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) or HHS (hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state).
6.For most people, coronavirus is a mild illness, but some people develop a more serious form of the virus and sadly could die.
7. The risk factors for more severe CORONA Virus infection are increased age, a BMI over 30, a history of high HbA1c (> 7%), fasting blood sugar >8.7mmol/l or complications such as heart failure or kidney disease.
Some of these risk factors you can’t change, but others where you can, reduce your risk.
