Facing diabetes and COVID-19 together
COVID-19 is the infection caused by a virus called coronavirus. This new virus was unknown before the outbreak began in China, in December 2019.
At the moment, we do not know if there are differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes as they relate to COVID-19.
Evidence suggests that if you have diabetes, compared to people without diabetes, you have:
Therefore, if you have diabetes, it is important to try to prevent COVID-19 infection from occurring. Good control of diabetes makes sense.
For most people, COVID-19 infection is mild, especially for children and young adults, and most people recover completely without needing special treatment. However, COVID-19 can cause serious illness in some people including family or friends. It is therefore quite normal for you to worry about how the COVID-19 outbreak will affect us and our loved ones.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. It is spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs, releasing droplets containing the virus into the air (these droplets can travel up to 6 feet) which land on surfaces (door handles, phones, food, anything). If you touch these surfaces and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, the infection enters their body. Your risk of COVID-19 increases if there are people near you who are sick. Some people with the virus may have no symptoms so it is important for all of us to wash our hands and stay over 6 feet away from others when possible.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are the same in people with and without diabetes: fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Some people may also have diarrhea, nausea and vomiting before the respiratory symptoms start.
These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people get the infection without feeling sick and without these symptoms. Additionally, people with diabetes may see their glucose levels rise during illness even if they are not eating.
However for a small number of people COVID-19 can become serious, with difficulty breathing, pain in the chest, confusion, or bluish lips or face. If these or other worrying symptoms occur, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
At the moment, we think the time between catching the virus and when symptoms start (called the “incubation period”) is between 1 and 14 days, most commonly around 5 days.
COVID-19/ Coronavirus is a new and serious threat to everyone, but especially Hispanic/Latino people with diabetes if their blood sugars are high.
Fortunately, all of us can take simple steps to reduce our risk of catching COVID-19 and, if someone with diabetes develops COVID-19, there are important, practical steps to take immediately, as the virus can make diabetes more difficult to control.
If you have a general comment or question related to diabetes and/or COVID-19, please call our helpline: 805-350-8730. The helpline does not provide personal medical advice. If you need medical assistance, please call your doctor or 911 in the case of an emergency. We will do our best to return your call within 24 hours, including weekends. Please also check https://latinodiabetes.sansum.org/ each day for updates. Stay safe and well.
1,643,366
Global Cases Confirmed
97,716 Deaths
475,237
United States Cases Confirmed
17,055 Deaths
20,212
California Cases Confirmed
559 Deaths
243
Santa Barbara County Cases
2 Deaths
The CDC says that critical workers can now return to work even if they have been exposed to COVID-19, provided they have no symptoms. Workers must have their temperature taken before starting, wear a mask, and practice social distancing.
Exposure means being within 6 feet of someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. This includes the 48 hours before that person has symptoms.
In normal times the world is noisy. Scientists who listen for earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural events are reporting how quiet the world has become due to COVID-19. “The roar of human life is merely a whisper at the moment,” said one expert. Noise is a form of pollution and can cause stress so perhaps when normality returns, the earth will be a little quieter?
There is an app (in English only at the moment) that provides advice about COVID-19 including if you are at risk and what you should do. You can find it here: https://www.apple.com/covid19/
We don’t know. Experts say it likely won’t open all at once. 4 key signs that indicate that cities and states may be ready to re-open are:
Hospitals can safely treat all patients who need care.
At least everyone with symptoms can be tested.
All confirmed cases and their contacts can be monitored.
The number of cases fall for at least 14 days.
As millions of people worldwide are confined to home, the question is how to kill time? Well, demand for jigsaw puzzles has surged past holiday levels. People proudly post completed puzzles on social media.
With physical distancing, more people report loneliness and social isolation. Pre-COVID-19, 1 in 5 people felt lonely and isolated, which can seriously impact mental and physical health. COVID makes this a bigger challenge.
To combat this, call family and friends; use social media and the Internet; check in with neighbors (stay 6 feet apart and wear a face covering); smile, wave, and say hi. Volunteering can help, too.
The same steps help protect everyone from catching COVID-19, irrespective if you have diabetes or not. If you live with diabetes, you may have learned to be extra aware of how you feel; this can be very helpful as you follow these steps to protect yourself.
Check this website every day. New information will be posted as the situation changes and we learn more. Encourage others to take these same steps. If there are children in your house, do your best to teach them to do the same.
Social distancing means reducing your in-person, face-to-face interaction with other people, and increasing the space between yourself and others. Social distancing helps everyone – whether you live with diabetes or not – lower the risk of catching COVID-19.
To do this:
Scams and fraudulent services have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic caused local residents to self-isolate. On top of the usual scams, in Florida scammers are approaching people’s homes in white lab coats pretending to be from the local health department.
We have some tips:
• Hang up on robocalls. Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from scam treatments to work-at-home schemes.
• Ignore online offers for vaccinations and miracle cures. There currently are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges or other prescription or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure COVID-19 — online or in stores.
• Know who you’re buying from. Online sellers may claim to have in-demand products, like cleaning, household, and health and medical supplies when, in fact, they don’t.
• Don’t respond to texts about checks from the government. Anyone who tells you they can get you the money now is a scammer.
• Don’t click on links from sources you don’t know. They could download viruses onto your computer or device.
• Watch for emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or experts saying they have information about the virus.
COVID-19 will increase stress, fear, and anxiety for everyone. Stress during this outbreak may especially impact people living with diabetes, and may include:
Things you can do to help yourself include:
Wearing a scarf, mask or other face covering makes sense when you go shopping or where there may be other people nearby. Definitely ear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or caring for someone who may have COVID-19. Then clean your hands right away. Disposable face masks can only be used once.
No. Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacteria, which COVID-19 is not. Antibiotics will be used to treat infections caused by a bacteria, such as pneumonia.
Not yet but scientists around the world are working on this.
To date, there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, avoid touching your pets.
It is not certain how long the virus survives on surfaces, but it may persist for a few hours or up to several days. If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.
If you get sick – even if you are not sure if it is COVID-19 – follow the steps in the table below, even if your blood sugar is OK.
Eli Lilly launched a program allowing people without health insurance and people with commercial health insurance to fill their monthly prescription of Lilly insulin for $35/month. The program is NOT available to patients with any government insurance including Medicaid or Medicare.
Are pregnant women at higher risk of getting COVID-19 and, if they become infected, will they become more sick than other people?
We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from the virus than the general public nor whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result. So at the moment we can say no to both questions but we will keep this under review.
How can pregnant women protect themselves from getting COVID-19?
Pregnant women should do the same things as the general public to avoid infection:
What about during delivery?
We still do not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her baby during pregnancy or delivery. No infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for COVID-19 and the virus was not found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.
|
S (Sugar)
|
Blood glucose levels can rise during illness even if you are not eating. Monitor your blood glucose more often if possible. You may need to temporarily increase your diabetes medications while you are sick to manage higher glucose levels. Talk to your doctor. |
| I (Insulin) |
NEVER stop insulin or oral diabetes medications. You may need to increase your insulin dose during illness, especially if ketones are present. Get specific advice from your doctor. |
| C (Carbohydrate) |
Stay hydrated and continue to eat carbohydrates. If you cannot eat or are vomiting, replace meals with sugary fluids. If your blood glucose levels are high, keep drinking sugar-free fluids. If your blood glucose levels are low, keep drinking sugary fluids. |
| K (Ketones) |
If you have type 1 diabetes, check for ketones every 2-4 hours. If ketones are present, you may need to take extra rapid-acting doses (in addition to regular does) based on total daily insulin dose. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and flush through ketones. |
Table source: Down S on behalf of the Primary Care Diabetes Society (2020) COVID-19 and diabetes. Diabetes & Primary Care [early view publication].
Call your doctor or go to an emergency room if any of the following occurs:
Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them you have diabetes and about your symptoms, and whether you have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.
Call the nearest Emergency Room for advice.
If an epidemic does occur and healthcare providers are overwhelmed, people needing insulin can obtain vials of NPH and regular insulin from Walmart without a prescription.
You need to consider 3 questions:
If you answer no to all 3 questions, you do not need a test. If you answer yes to any of the questions, contact your healthcare provider and let them know you may need a test. You may be asked additional questions about your age, recent travel, contact with someone who has the virus, your diabetes and other medical problems, and whether you work at a healthcare or residential care facility. If you are tested, the results may not be available for a few days. While you wait for the result, stay in isolation at home. This means you should not go to school, work, shopping, or to any restaurant. Try to maintain a distance of 6feet, when possible, from other people at home and do not eat in common areas. You can go outside if you are not coughing and have a private backyard, or private outdoor area that is at least 6 feet from other residents. Wear a mask.
Staying at home makes sense if you have the infection and:
It is now recommended that you wear a cloth face mask in public places where social distancing is difficult like grocery stores and pharmacies, as people with no COVID-19 symptoms can infect others. Face masks are preferred over respirators and surgical masks, needed by healthcare personnel. Masks do not replace social distancing. The CDC provides instructions for making, using, and cleaning homemade masks.
Spring blooms are exploding across California, raising pollen counts. This will complicate making a diagnosis of COVID-19. Tips: COVID-19 cough is dry and non-productive (that means little or no spit), and COVID-19 usually pushes fevers over 100F. In contrast, allergy coughs tend to have more spit, and no fever.
There is a lot of information on the internet, but not all of it is reliable. Be careful with what you read. Here we correct some common myths.
Sansum Diabetes Research Institute specializes in diabetes. While we are not experts in infectious disease, we are following and conveying on this site the research evidence and advice from the following authoritative organizations:
World Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control
American Diabetes Association
Table:
Case Counts:
