What Should People with Diabetes Know About COVID-19 Vaccines and Boosters?

 Amid the ongoing pandemic, the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) Foundation continues to focus on raising funds for finding a cure for diabetes. We’re also tuned in to the needs of the diabetes community that we support. COVID-19 vaccinations are rolling out for many in the US, but where does that leave you or your loved ones with diabetes?

Many of you have been asking: Are the vaccines safe? We turned to DRI Director Dr. Camillo Ricordi, a leading expert in the field of diabetes research who has also been instrumental in treating diabetes patients that have COVID-19.

“The overall benefits for people with type 1 and type 2 far outweigh the risk of not receiving the vaccine,” stated Dr. Ricordi. “Diabetes is associated with increased severity of COVID-19, indicating an urgent and continued need to mitigate risk in this community. It is important that patients with diabetes receive the vaccine, and both types of diabetes should be prioritized.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the following prioritization guidelines:

Phase 1a is in process, having begun in December 2020 immediately following the approval of the COVID-19 vaccines in the US. It includes frontline healthcare providers and residents of nursing homes, where COVID-19 cases and deaths have been dramatically highest.

Phase 1b is happening in some states already, includes people over the age of 74, and expands to more frontline workers, including first responders, food and agricultural workers, U.S. Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, teachers, and child care workers.

Phase 1c, depending on the state, is likely to begin in February or March 2021. This phase includes people over the age of 64, anyone else aged 16 or above with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19, and all other essential workers, like those in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, construction, finance, information technology and communications, energy, legal, media, public safety, and public health workers.

What does this mean for people with

 diabetes?

As written in the online health resource STAT, guidelines from the CDC released in December rank a person with type 2 diabetes as someone who “is at increased risk” of more severe illness from COVID-19. That means people with T2D will follow health care workers and people living in long-term care settings, getting their vaccines in Phase 1c of the rollout.

According to our sharing partners at Beyond Type 1, this means that for those with type 1 or any type of diabetes other than type 2, you are possibly (depending on your state) not included in the initial rollout and may need to wait to receive your vaccine with the general population, which is likely to be in April 2021 or later.

Should you get a COVID-19

vaccine

if you have diabetes?

Yes, experts recommend people with diabetes get vaccinated against COVID-19.

These are the COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States.

• In mid-December 2020, Pfizer, a U.S. pharmaceutical corporation, and BioNTech, a German partner, made their first vaccine available to adults aged 16 and older. A second dose is needed 21 days after the initial shot. In May 2021, this vaccination was given the go-ahead for usage in kids 12 and olderTrusted Source. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine received complete approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2021. Everyone over the age of 12 is entirely permitted to utilize it on an ongoing basis. For those over the age of 5, a third dose, or booster, is also offered.

• In late December 2020, American biotech company ModernaTrusted Source released their vaccine. Adults who are at least 18 years old may utilize it. With a 28-day interval between shots, this vaccination likewise calls for two doses. There is also a booster available.

• After receiving FDA approval, the vaccine was made available by the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J)Trusted Source in late February 2021. In contrast to the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, this one is unique. It simply needs one shot as opposed to two different doses. Additionally, unlike the others, it does not require storage at extremely low temperatures. For more information on the J&J vaccine, go here.

MRNA vaccines include the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shotsTrusted Source. This is a more recent kind of vaccine that, in essence, "teaches" human cells how to produce a protein or a portion of a protein that causes an immunological reaction in our bodies.

When the true virus enters our systems, this leads to the production of antibodies that shield us from being ill.

While mRNA vaccines may be less well recognized to the general public, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, they are not brand-new. They have undergone comprehensive testing for the cytomegalovirus, rabies, Zika virus, and flu.

Coincidentally, one of the primary researchers who developed the technology that underlies mRNA vaccines also has T1D.

With novel coronavirus variations gaining popularity and study data demonstrating that unvaccinated people are hospitalized and die at a noticeably greater rate than vaccinated people, the demand for COVID-19 vaccines has become more critical.

What are the COVID-19 vaccine options?

As of January 2021, two COVID-19 vaccines are available in the United States:

• U.S. pharma giant Pfizer BioNTech released the first vaccine, initially available in mid-December 2020, for those 16 and older. After the first shot, a second “booster” shot is required 21 days later.
• Biotech company Moderna released its vaccine in late December 2020 for adults 18 and older. This also requires two shots, with a 28-day break before the second dose.

hundreds of new The Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are still undergoing investigation to determine the best dosage for children and people with autoimmune diseases, and COVID-19 vaccinations are being tested all around the world.

Can people with diabetes get a booster shot?

COVID-19 boosters, as defined by the CDC, are shots that improve or reinstate protection from COVID-19. Since receiving the first and second doses of the vaccine, protection may have declined.

Boosters and diabetes

Experts encourage the following people to get a booster shot:

• Everyone 5 years and older should get one booster after completing their primary vaccination series.
• People eligible for a second booster include adults 50 years and older, as well as kids 12 years and older who are consideredmoderately or severely immunocompromisedTrusted Source (e.g., receiving cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients).

The timing of each booster may vary depending on a person's unique characteristics, such as age and immunocompromise. The time and specifics for those additional booster doses are detailed in detail by the CDCTrusted Source.

Are the COVID-19 vaccines and

boosters safe?

In a nutshell, yes, they are secure.

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"A COVID-19 vaccination containing mRNA may be given to those with autoimmune diseases. They should be warned, though, that there are no data at this time on the security of mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations for them. Participants from this category were accepted into clinical trials.

Although there have been some reports of allergic responses, anaphylaxis is a very uncommon severe allergic reaction.

For additional information regarding COVID-19 vaccines and allergies, visit this CDC pageTrusted Source.

Is there a higher risk of COVID-19

with diabetes?

Contrary to persons who use immunosuppressant medications, have had a pancreas or other organ transplant, or have other medical issues, people with diabetes are not typically considered to be "immunocompromisedTrusted Source".

However, authorities are aware that having diabetes increases your risk of getting COVID-19.

Numerous studies are cited by The CDCTrusted Source to demonstrate that both T1D and T2D increase the likelihood of developing a more serious illness from COVID-19. One of those studies, Trusted Source, asserts that T1D in particular has a potential three-fold increased risk of more serious illness.

Regarding access to the COVID-19 vaccination, the CDC initially gave T2D a higher priority than T1D. However, the CDC updated their recommendations in April 2021 to give T1D and T2D the same degree of priority.

According to the CDCTrusted Source, both diseases can increase the risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness.

The CDC's decision to make this move came as a result of months of advocacy, particularly from the 19 diabetic groups that signed a petition requesting that the CDC give T1D and T2D equal priority.

Why should you get the vaccine?

The vaccination has the power to safeguard your community, as well as the people you love. It will assist your body's defense mechanisms in warding off a COVID-19 infection. This implies that if you are exposed to COVID, your body can defend you and greatly lower your risk of becoming ill or suffering serious side effects from the virus.

In adults who have been exposed, the two vaccines that are currently permitted in the US are roughly 95% effective in avoiding COVID symptoms. In other words, you are likely not going to get sick if you are immunized and then come into touch with someone who has COVID.

One of the best methods to safeguard your health and fend off sickness is vaccination. Other measures, such as donning a mask that covers your mouth and nose and avoiding close contact with anyone you don't live with, also aid in halting the spread.

Do COVID-19 vaccines and

boosters raise your blood sugar?

The most common side effects of COVID-19 vaccination are not specific to diabetes. They include:

• tenderness, swelling, and redness at the injection site
• fatigue
• headache
• chills
• fever
• nausea
• muscle aches

Diabetes activists crowdsourced this issue to better document what people with diabetes have experienced post-vaccination, despite the fact that experiences of those with diabetes may vary when it comes to vaccine effects.

The nonprofit Beta Cell Foundation began collecting data with an online database in early 2021. It gathered hundreds of responses from people who’ve gotten one or both vaccine doses:

• After receiving their first vaccine dose (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech), approximately 10 to 15 percent reported elevated blood sugars for a day or two. After their second dose, 23 to 29 percent reported elevated sugars.
• After vaccination with the J&J vaccine, 42 percent had elevated sugars.
• Two percent reported lower blood sugars, and one person reported both higher and lower blood sugars (perhaps a combo of both, due to shifting glucose levels).
• After receiving the second vaccine, approximately 30 percent reported elevated blood sugars, and less than 1 percent reported lower blood sugars.
• No significant differences were reported based on the type of vaccine received, Moderna versus Pfizer-BioNTech.

It's best to speak with a doctor or other healthcare provider who is familiar with your medical history if you do experience a serious reaction to a vaccine or booster dose.