Despite evidence that people with type 1 diabetes are (T1D) are at just as much, if not more, risk than people with type 2 diabetes from COVID-19, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) only recommends that people with type 2 diabetes get prioritized.
Several high-quality studies indicate indicate the risk for people with type 1 diabetes is double, if not triple, the risk that occurs in the general population. The “OR” indicates odds ratios of hospitalization and severe illness — an odds ratio greater than 1 indicates that an event is “more likely to occur.”
1. Gregory et al., prospective cohort study in the US, whole Vanderbilt network, outcome: COVID-19 hospitalization
- T1D OR 3.90 (95% CI 1.75-8.69)
- T2D OR 3.36 (95% CI 2.49-4.55)
2. Barron et al., prospective cohort study in the UK, whole population of England, outcome: in-hospital COVID-19 death
- T1D OR 3.51 (95% CI 3.16-3.90)
- T2D OR 2.03 (95% CI 1.97-2.09)
3. McGurnaghan et al., prospective cohort study in the UK, whole population of Scotland, outcome: COVID-19 death or critical care
- T1D OR 2.396 (95% CI 1.815-3.163)
- T2D OR 1.369 (95% CI 1.276-1.468)
Letter to CDC
Several organizations representing insulin-dependent people with diabetes wrote a letter to ACIP asking for people with all types of diabetes to be prioritized at the same level in the vaccine rollout.