The Importance of Covid-19 Vaccination for Diabetic People

7 August 2021

Covid-19 has surely complicated our lives more than they were before. Initially, everyone thought that it would last for a couple of months, but nobody had anticipated that it will become a part of our lives and we have to live with it somehow. It devastated the economic and social conditions of people around the world, they are at the extreme risk of falling into poverty. People have become anxiolytic; they have lost their mental peace to the pandemic. People around the world are always fearful of getting infected. In a way, the pandemic has affected our overall lives. Besides the fear of economic and social deterioration, there is another factor of health declining associated with it, especially old people and people with diabetes. Diabetes weakens your immune system which is the only guard in your body to protect you against any kind of health threats or diseases. So, people with diabetes are more prone to getting affected by the covid-19 compared to the people without diabetes. After getting infected, their condition will also tend to get worse more swiftly than the people without diabetes.

Some people are even talking about the safety of these vaccines and they are reluctant to get vaccinated because of the rumors they have heard. The first thing you need to know is that every vaccine or medication has to go through some thorough tests by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are brought into the market. Additionally, the covid-19 vaccines, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson-Johnson is monitored by John Hopkins Medicine all the time. Yes, some cases have occurred in which people have died after getting vaccinated but there are several authentic explanations to this dilemma. Either the deceased people had got vaccinated late or they had other health issues as well which were worsened due to covid-19. Another factor could be that it takes some time for a vaccine to show its efficacy. Moreover, our body is not programmed to deal with multiple diseases at the same time. For instance, if you are already running heavy software on a computer, especially on an old one, and you open up another software then your computer is bound to get hang or stuck. So, if your body is already dealing with an issue and there comes another, then it is evident that there will be complications and in some cases, quite serious ones. In the past months, millions of people have been vaccinated in the US and every case was carefully monitored by the FDA and CDC.

People with diabetes, who were given doses of vaccine, did not report any serious side effects, except for the soreness of the injection site, lethargy and minor fever. The FDA reported that it is the result of the immune system being triggered by the vaccines to fight the virus. After all these experiments, tests and monitoring, it was announced completely safe to be vaccinated by the vaccines.

Types of Vaccines in the US

US has basically 3 major types of vaccine, namely Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson Johnson. Some experts are of the opinion that covid-19 vaccine that has at least 50% effectiveness could help control the pandemic.

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine

On Dec 11, 2020, the FDA authorized the first emergency vaccination of Pfizer-BioNTech for covid-19 for the individuals of 16 years and above. The manufacturer claimed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or BNT162b2, has shown 95% effectiveness in the clinical trials. Basically, 2 shots are recommended with the gap of 21 days. The side effects which were experienced by the vaccinated individual included pain at injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. The reason of these side effects is mentioned above.

Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine

On Dec 18, 2020, the FDA issued authorization for the second vaccine of Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine for the prevention of Covid-19. It is authorized for the individuals of 18 years of age or older. The clinical trials showed 94.1% efficacy. Two shots are recommended with the gap of 28 days. The side effects include redness or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine

On Feb 27, 2021, the FDA issued authorization for the third vaccine of Johnson & Johnson or Janssen Covid-19 Vaccine for the prevention of Covid-19. It was allowed to distributed in US for individuals of 18 years of age or above. The manufacturer claimed that the Johnson & Johnson has shown 85% efficacy in clinical trials. Only 1 shot is recommended of Johnson & Johnson. The side effects include redness or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

Importance of getting vaccinated for People with Diabetes

“It’s quite clear that people with diabetes do much worse than people without diabetes in terms of their outcomes with COVID,” says Dr. Gabbay. Early in the pandemic, a study from the CDC, published in July 2017 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that roughly half of the people who died from COVID-19 under age 65 had diabetes. 

I would say, the report is alarming and people with diabetes should be double cautious of impacts imparted by the covid-19. Dr. Gabby even said that people with diabetes are more likely to be hospitalized and experience severe impacts of covid-19 compared to other people. Two other studies in the UK also suggested that people with diabetes are at higher risks of dying or getting hospitalized than people without diabetes.

As stated above, diabetes weakens your immune system which is the only defense system in our body. Thus, vaccine acts as a protective layer in diabetic people. The faster the diabetics get vaccinated, the lesser is the chance of getting sick, hospitalization or even death. So, don’t be afraid and get vaccinated as soon as possible for the sake of your health, your family’s health and the community as a whole. And finally, don’t forget to wear the mask, wash your hands frequently and keeping social distancing.

Note

CDC has received increased reports of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents and young adults after covid-19 vaccination. The known and potential benefits of covid-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis. The covid-19 vaccine is recommended to anyone of 12 years or older.