by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): During the NEOC COVID-19 Press Briefing on Wednesday, January 26, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, informed the St. Kitts-Nevis populace of a recent report published by the US Centre for Disease Control.
The report states that COVID-19 may raise the risk of diabetes in children.
“In terms of some recent information coming out of CDC; the research shows that children who recovered from COVID-19 appear to be at a significantly increased risk of developing Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. So they looked at two cohorts of children and in one cohort, they found a 2.6 fold increase in risk in developing Diabetes post COVID; and in the other cohort a smaller 30 percent increase in risk in developing Diabetes post COVID and these are children under the age of 18,” Laws explained.
Considering the recent report, the Chief Medical Officer said the information provides an additional reason and underscores the importance for parents to give consent for their children, those who are eligible to be vaccinated.
“The study also shows that there is a heightened risk of developing diabetes in adults who have recovered from COVID,” Laws stated.
Having summarised the report, Dr. Laws plead with individuals to ‘say yes’ to the vaccine as it provides a layer of protection against COVID-19.
