According to the CDC, older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes are at higher risk of getting very sick from Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
People with diabetes are NOT more likely to get COVID-19 than the general population. However, people with diabetes face a higher chance of experiencing severe complications from COVID-19. In China, where most cases have occurred so far, people with diabetes had much higher rates of severe complications and death than people without diabetes.
The seasonal flu and COVID-19 are both respiratory illnesses caused by viral infections. While they share many of the same symptoms, such as fever and body aches, COVID-19 is different from the seasonal flu. The main symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, dry cough, and shortness of breath.
If you have diabetes, it is extra important for you to take action to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease. Even a minor cold can make your diabetes harder to control and lead to serious complications. Illness is stressful to the body. Your body releases hormones to deal with the stress and to fight the sickness. Higher hormone levels can also cause high blood glucose or blood sugar measurements.