The RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid‐19 thERapY) trial found that dexamethasone 6 mg once per day for 10 days reduced deaths by one‐third in ventilated patients and by one‐fifth in other patients, receiving oxygen therapy. This equates to the prevention of one death in around eight ventilated patients, or one in around 25 patients requiring oxygen.

The UK National Diabetes Inpatient COVID Response Group was formed at the end of March 2020 to support the provision of diabetes inpatient care during the COVID pandemic. It was formed in response to two emerging needs. First to ensure that basic diabetes services are secured and maintained at a time when there was a call for re-deployment to support the need for general medical expertise across secondary care services. The second was to provide simple safe diabetes guidelines for use by specialists and non-specialists treating inpatients with or suspected of COVID-19 infection. To date the group, comprising UK-based specialists in diabetes, pharmacy and psychology, have produced two sets of guidelines which will be continually revised as new evidence emerges. It is supported by Diabetes UK, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and NHS England.Diabet. Med. 00, 1-3 (2020)

We hope that most teams will not find it necessary to use the subcutaneous insulin route to manage DKA, but we understand that this regimen has been welcomed by some working in less well-resourced countries.

The emergence of continuous glucose monitoring has driven improvements in glycaemic control and quality of life for people with diabetes. Recent changes in access to continuous glucose monitoring systems within UK health services have increased the number of people able to benefit from these technologies. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for diabetes healthcare professionals to use continuous glucose monitoring technology to remotely deliver diabetes services to support people with diabetes. This opportunity can be maximized with improved application and interpretation of continuous glucose monitoring-generated data. Amongst the diverse measures of glycaemic control, time in range is considered to be of high value in routine clinical care because it is actionable and is visibly responsive to changes in diabetes management. Importantly, it is also been linked to the risk of developing complications associated with diabetes and can be understood by people with diabetes and healthcare professionals alike. The 2019 International Consensus on Time in Range has established a series of target glucose ranges and recommendations for time spent within these ranges that is consistent with optimal glycaemic control. The recommendations cover people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, with separate targets indicated for elderly people or those at higher risk from hypoglycaemia, as well as Note: Each of these measures of glycaemia can be derived and reported by isCGM or rtCGM systems. They are all endorsed by international consensus guidance on use of CGM systems in the management of diabetes. 11,14,15 Abbreviations: CGM, continuous glucose monitoring; CV, coefficient of variation; eA 1c , estimated HbA 1c ; GMI, glucose management indicator; isCGM, intermittently scanned CGM (flash glucose monitoring); rtCGM, real-time CGM; TAR, time above range; TBR, time below range; TIR, time in range.