Scotland: Covid and Diabetes

In the Scottish Parliament, David Stewart MSP made use of his position to ask questions about the correlation between deaths from Covid 19 and people with diabetes.

Joe FitzPatrick (SNP), the Minister for Public Health’s reply was: “We know that this is a worrying time for people who live with diabetes. Their safety and the continued provision of care and treatment remain a priority for the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland. Our analytical partners across the Scottish Government—National Records of Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the national health service—are working together to consider how we can better understand the impact of Covid-19 on people in Scotland with diabetes and other health conditions.

We will be guided by the evidence from that work in assessing any continued risk from the virus, but I encourage anyone who has any concerns about their diabetes—or any other condition—and Covid-19 to contact their general practitioner or the diabetes clinical team, who are best placed to provide specific advice and support.”.

David Stewart: “Research by NHS England a few weeks ago concluded that one in four coronavirus deaths in hospitals were of people who had diabetes”.

Joe FitzPatrick: “NRS published data on 22 May as an ad hoc step, which I hope folk will find useful. It showed that, in 15 per cent of all deaths resulting from cases of Covid-19 in Scotland, the death certificate mentioned diabetes. We are still learning about the virus, and it is really important that we record all such data. The Scottish Government and NRS will publish the data as it becomes available. I hope that that information is roughly what the member was looking for”.

Advocacy Action? What is the situation in your country? Is the correlation greater or smaller than in Scotland? PDGN would be pleased to receive your data.