Since the coronavirus pandemic began, doctors across Canada have noticed a significant drop in the number of cases of Type 1 diabetes presenting at hospitals — and they worry people’s lives could be at stake. “We haven’t seen a new case of Type 1 diabetes in our population in the last month,” Dr.
Elizabeth Cummings, head of endocrinology at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, N.S., told Global News. “We would normally see between three to six cases a month.” Cummings says she’s spoken with fellow endocrinologists across the country and they’ve all noticed a similar drop in cases.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, a hormone that controls the level of sugar in your blood, according to Diabetes Canada.