Our consultant, Professor Russell Viner, has provided the following information which should answer your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for young people with type 1 diabetes:
Young people aged 12-15 years with diabetes are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and we recommend that they would benefit from having two doses, in line with recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI).
There has been a lot of debate about vaccination of teenagers against COVID-19, but the issues for those with diabetes are clearer. The risks for any teenager from COVID-19 are very very low, but those with diabetes do have a very small increase in risk, much as they do from influenza in fact.
The COVID-19 vaccines used in teenagers are extremely safe, although they do have very rare side-effects as does any medical treatment. When balancing the benefits of vaccination against the risks, the JCVI concluded that the benefits were greater than the very small risks for teenagers with medical conditions such as those with diabetes.
Young people receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should get their vaccine through their GP as the school system is only offering the single dose for young people without other medical conditions.
The government advice can be found here:
