Last night, I watched a video of the speech recently given by the Prime Minister of Singapore as well as the press conference given by the Prime Minister of Japan regarding measures their countries are taking vis-a-vis COVID-19. In both speeches I noticed the absence of any reference to diabetes as an underlying medical condition that subjects a person to a higher risk of getting very sick or experiencing complications from the new coronavirus.
In many news articles and advisories on COVID-19, diabetes has even been described as a “serious chronic medical condition”. Diabetics are also told that we have a higher risk of not only getting sick from the new coronavirus and develop COVID-19 but of dying (one estimate I read puts it at 7.3% higher risk of fatality compared to a person with no underlying medical condition). Recently, these articles come with a photo of Tom Hanks, who has Type 2 diabetes.
That’s worrying. The worry grows every time I read an article that tells me that I will likely get sick because I have diabetes. I know that the intention is to get diabetics to be more careful, but how we avoid getting the virus is no different from what a non-diabetic should do. Like everyone else, I take everyday precaution to protect myself from the COVID-19 virus, such as washing my hands regularly, not touching my face, and avoiding crowded places, among other measures. However, as a diabetic for more than a decade, I do not need additional or constant reminders to be in control of my blood sugar. I also do not welcome the additional stress of being told over and over again by the press, media and bloggers that diabetes puts me at a higher risk of dying. I’m not sure how helpful that repetitive reminder really is.
When I saw my endocrinologist last week, he told me to be careful of the virus but without any additional prompt regarding the morbidity risk which I read in the news. Nope, he did not remind me that I have to be more careful just because I have type 2 diabetes. So, I asked him about this constant reminder given to diabetics. He said that if diabetes is well managed and one’s blood sugar is under control, the risk of getting infected or suffering serious complications would be no different from what non-diabetics would have. Since I have more or less good blood sugar control, despite my brief time being off the wagon more than a year ago, my chances of getting the virus or getting incredibly ill are not that much different from a non-diabetic’s chances. But of course I should double down on controlling my blood sugar.
Thus, other than do what a normal person should be doing to avoid getting the virus and doing what I can to make sure that my blood sugar is under control, which is what I do and should be doing anyway, there is no need for me to worry unnecessarily just because I am diabetic. My doctor also reminded me that stress and unnecessary worrying will only lower my immune system and contribute to a failing health. So, I’m less stressed now.
With the spreading pandemic, it is tempting to freak out but that does not solve anything. This current pandemic is but another reminder for me, and everyone, to try to be healthy all the time and be in control of one’s chronic medical condition, whether or not there is a pandemic or epidemic. If you have not paid much attention to your health (for instance, you are obese, you don’t get enough sleep or exercise, you are stressed all the time, you panic all the time even for the smallest trigger, you eat too much carbohydrates, and so on), this is a good time to start.
Keep healthy, everyone.