1.7m vulnerable people added to shielding list

Y O

4 years ago

Some 1.7 million more people will be added to the shielding list in England, after being found to be at potential serious risk from Covid-19.

They have been identified by a new algorithm that looks at multiple factors, and will be sent a letter from the NHS in the coming days.

Some will have already been offered a coronavirus jab but the around 800,000 who have not will be bumped up the vaccine priority list.

The shielding list was expanded after scientists at Oxford University developed a new tool that assesses whether someone is at risk of severe disease or death from the virus.

The new tool makes calculations that include things like ethnicity, deprivation and weight to work out a person’s risk of becoming seriously ill if they were to catch Covid.

Dr Jenny Harries, one of England’s deputy chief medical officers, said those joining the shielding list will get the same support available to those who are “clinically extremely vulnerable”, including medicine deliveries, priority slots for supermarkets and statutory sick pay.

Of the 1.7 million, around 900,000 have already received an offer for the vaccination because they were over 70.

The remainder are all thought to fall into one of the priority groups that are being invited for vaccination next.

They will be bumped up the list first for a jab, the government said.