Diabetes Québec and its Professional Council have once again taken a position on COVID-19 vaccination for people with diabetes. Here are the details.
New priority groups
Until recently, people under the age of 60 living with a chronic disease (including diabetes) were in group 8 in the order of priority for a vaccination. This group has been subcategorized and vaccination is now open to new priority groups for all of Quebec. These priority groups include people at very high risk of complications. The vaccination of these people will be done mainly in the hospital under the recommendation of a treating physician.
Thus, all people under the age of 60 who are living with diabetes and who are not included in this list are now relegated to rank 10, along with the rest of the adult population.
Need for clear information
How this change in the group prioritization for vaccination was communicated caused a great deal of confusion among the public. It is imperative that a communiqué be issued to clearly and simply explain the situation regarding the vaccination of people living with a chronic disease.
Diabetes – a condition that should be prioritized
In light of the various studies that show that when adults with any form of diabetes contract COVID-19, the probability of the disease progressing unfavourably is much greater than for people without diabetes, Diabetes Québec and its Professional Council believe that vaccination should be available quickly and easily to everyone with diabetes. It is therefore unacceptable not to have pushed forward the vaccination of people living with diabetes.
Moreover, some people with diabetes are at particularly high risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19, including people with diabetes over 40 years of age, with a body mass index equal to or greater than 30, with a glycated hemoglobin value equal to or greater than 9%, or with complications associated with diabetes, including diabetic nephropathy. These individuals should receive the COVID1-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
An easy process is needed
To facilitate the vaccination process for people with diabetes, consideration should be given to offering the vaccine in pharmacies and medical clinics, so that the medical records are available. It is important to have a simple way to prove who is at risk, without the process discouraging patients.
With the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic well underway, we believe that organizing the vaccination of non-hospitalized people living with chronic diseases must be done quickly and allow for a quick and simple process, especially for people living with high-risk diabetes.
To read the article (in French only) explaining the first position paper on prioritizing adults with diabetes for COVID-19 vaccination, click here.
To view the COVID-19 and diabetes vaccination FAQ article, click here.