Dr Abdul Hamid, general manager of primary care for the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), has said patients with Type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of getting covid19.

Hamid was speaking at the Ministry of Health’s virtual press conference on Monday.

“The care of patients with endocrine (hormone-related) disorders, including diabetes, during the covid19 pandemic poses unique challenges,” he said, adding these patients are at a much higher risk for severe illness.

He said people with Type 2 diabetes specifically are more likely to have serious complications, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions, a longer stay at the hospital, and death.

“In China, the case fatality rate was 7.3 per cent among patients with diabetes (most likely Type 2 diabetes), whereas the overall case fatality was 2.3 per cent.

In a retrospective study from the United States, the mortality rate was 14.8 per cent among patients with diabetes and 28.8 per cent in patients with diabetes or uncontrolled hyperglycaemia, compared with 6.2 per cent without either.”

He said poorly controlled diabetes is a risk factor for infection in general and elevated body mass index (BMI) was also associated with increased covid19 mortality.

He stressed, “Primary prevention. in the form of vaccination. is the mainstay for mitigating the risks associated with covid19 in patients with diabetes.”

He said in TT, diabetics have been prioritised for receiving the covid19 vaccines.

While the ministry continues to encourage everyone to be vaccinated, he said, it has not seen much vaccine hesitancy in patients with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.