Advocating for the Type 1 Diabetes Community During the Pandemic
In early January 2021, JDRF sent a joint letter with Diabetes Canada to Health Canada detailing concerns about guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) that may have resulted in people with diabetes being excluded from COVID-19 vaccination. JDRF also sent a letter to NACI highlighting that high-risk groups, including those with T1D, should be prioritized for vaccination. In these letters, we asked for clarification on ambiguous guidance provided about COVID-19 vaccination for those with an autoimmune disease.
As a result, NACI clarified their definition of ‘persons with an autoimmune condition’ so that those living with T1D should NOT be excluded from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. NACI also outlined the key populations they recommended receive the vaccine in stages 2 and 3 of the rollout. Stage 3 now includes “Adults 16-59 years of age with an underlying medical condition at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 and their essential primary caregivers”.
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