The rates of hospitalization among children with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes increased over two-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported two hospitals at the virtual American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions. 

At Our Lady of the Lake Childrens Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, children with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes constituted around 0.62% of in patients between March and December 2020, compared to 0.27% during the previous year. Though the figure is low, but the fact that the rate has more than doubled is crucial, stated Dr. Daniel Hsia of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

At Childrens National Hospital in Washington, DC, new-onset type 2 diabetes cases in children have risen by 233% from 2019 to 2020. Moreover, children were sicker compared to previous years, noted another team of researchers… (Reuters, June 29, 2021)