To be gutted re vaccine groups and asthma?

[1starwars2]

I have been generally positive and very careful throughout, but I feel really thrown by the news that asthmatics have been removed from group 6 of the Covid vaccine schedule.
I have been literally checking my phone for a text invite as our local surgery announced they were starting vaccinating grp 6 and sending out text invites.
Now I will not be in any of the first 9 groups, and my asthma has been crap for the last year.
A lot of asthmatics have been voluntarily shielding, and looking forward to vaccination and it seems a bit unfair to kick us out of the vaccination schedule now.
I would like to be pleased that it looks like asthmatics might be at no more risk of dying, but I don't feel that would apply to me, and am surprised at those findings.
I generally develop a chest infection, (I have had pneumonia and pleurisy in the last few years) with any cold. I am scared of covid, and it's a genuine fear not anxiety.

My brother (22) has severe asthma but it’s controlled with a steroid inhaler and he was fine when he caught covid. He had a bit of a cough but that was about it.

If it helps anyone feel slightly less anxious I have fairly bad asthma and tested positive for Covid months ago. I was honestly shocked at the result I was a little poorly but was also hungover so assumed it was that 😊

@Belladonna12 Yes, but the criteria for those with asthma who should be in priority groups six is only just been defined

As @CaffiSaliMali said upthread, severe asthma has been said for a while.

Years ago, my kids were told there was severe asthma, moderate asthma and mild asthma.[1 is severe, 1 is moderate and 1 is mild]. Didnt realise that the majority of people dont know the difference, I thought that the categories were widely known.
And often when googling asthma, severe, moderate and mild will be talked about as being different from each other.

Nut allergies are categorised into mild moderate and severe too.

[quote lightand]**@Belladonna12* Yes, but the criteria for those with asthma who should be in priority groups six is only just been defined*

As @CaffiSaliMali said upthread, severe asthma has been said for a while.

Years ago, my kids were told there was severe asthma, moderate asthma and mild asthma.[1 is severe, 1 is moderate and 1 is mild]. Didnt realise that the majority of people dont know the difference, I thought that the categories were widely known.
And often when googling asthma, severe, moderate and mild will be talked about as being different from each other.

Nut allergies are categorised into mild moderate and severe too.[/quote]
There is not just one definition for severe asthma and while some people will definitely be in that group it's not so clear-cut for others. They have only just written to GPs defining which patients with asthma should be in group 6.

I thought this too when I read the news. However today i got text from gp saying it was my turn and to book. So I have. I have brown inhalers and have had courses of steroid tablets every so often but not for several years now. So think it depends on area? We are in west Norfolk.

It's all very well to minimise deaths, but I don't see how leaving people with compromised lungs to take their chances against a disease that damages the lungs is protecting the NHS. Especially when asthmatics have been described on all government information that I have seen as clinically vulnerable.

There's a petition on Change about this:

www.change.org/p/uk-government-people-with-asthma-to-be-considered-group-6-for-covid-19-vaccine?signed=true

@Spodge

It's all very well to minimise deaths, but I don't see how leaving people with compromised lungs to take their chances against a disease that damages the lungs is protecting the NHS. Especially when asthmatics have been described on all government information that I have seen as clinically vulnerable.

Going back several months, and said in the US as well, that moderate and mild asthmatics are not thought to be at increased risk to covid, is what I have read and am reading. Google seems awash with this.

[quote PocketFluff]There's a petition on Change about this:

www.change.org/p/uk-government-people-with-asthma-to-be-considered-group-6-for-covid-19-vaccine?signed=true[/quote]
I have signed it. My DB is asthmatic and lives in U.K.

Thanks for sharing the petition

I think a lot of people are going to fall through the gaps with this. GP and hospital records aren’t joined up and some older records will be paper based so if GPS run a search of their records based on specific patient codes there’s no guarantee that everyone who needs to be will be included.

I’ve checked my records on the nhs app and there’s no details of my admission. I’m wondering now if I should phone my GP, but they’re all really busy at the moment.

My sister called her GP today, and asked if she could get the vaccine. They said yes pretty much immediately - she's got a date for next week. I don't know how it's working, but maybe it would be worth asking?

She has asthma by the way, should have included that!

If they don't allow the mild to moderate asthma in group 6-9 then a group 10 should be created Imo to catch the rest of potentially increased risk Inc asthma, Ms etc who are surely more vulnerable than healthy 20 year olds.

Also reduces the chance of slipping through the cracks scenarios which we seem to be seeing a lot of.

I have spoken to my health centre receptionist and she said that I am not flagged as grp 6.
Thanks for sharing the petition, I have signed.

I asked my gp surgery today and they couldn't even tell me which group I am in. It seems very inconsistent.

If it helps reassure anyone I am day 8 of COVID and although I have been very worried about catching this as overweight and over 50 for me luckily it’s no worse than a cold and I have had extensive tests pre COVID for a chronic cough as yet undiagnosed. My “COVID cough” is better than my “normal cough” at present I actually feel fine just a bit fatigued etc.

Beyond stupid, imagine removing the group with an actual lung condition, yet keeping some elderly groups

@Mally2020

Beyond stupid, imagine removing the group with an actual lung condition, yet keeping some elderly groups

Whilst I dont necessarily agree that moderate asthmatics should have been removed (being one myself) the evidence is that age is a much more significant factor so I think the priority in groups 1-6 has been totally appropriate up to now, its elderly people who have been dying in their thousands not young asthmatics.

It doesn’t make sense as I’ve just read on BBC that while asthmatics are no longer in any priority group, unpaid carers no matter what age or health status have been added to group 6.

So the U.K. government has U turned from vaccinating the most vulnerable to the virus first TO vaccinating anyone working in health or social care fields first.

@gah2teenagers

If it helps reassure anyone I am day 8 of COVID and although I have been very worried about catching this as overweight and over 50 for me luckily it’s no worse than a cold and I have had extensive tests pre COVID for a chronic cough as yet undiagnosed. My “COVID cough” is better than my “normal cough” at present I actually feel fine just a bit fatigued etc.

Hope you continue to get better

I have just "realised" I am also a carer, for my elderly father. I have never seen the benefit of registering as such before. But I am the only of his children who lives near enough to see him these days, and I do a lot for him on a regular basis. My friend asked me why I hadn't registered as his carer.
I have registered on our GPs website, which is also his gp.
I don't know what happens next but hopefully I will end up in group 6.

@PlanDeRaccordement

It doesn’t make sense as I’ve just read on BBC that while asthmatics are no longer in any priority group, unpaid carers no matter what age or health status have been added to group 6.

So the U.K. government has U turned from vaccinating the most vulnerable to the virus first TO vaccinating anyone working in health or social care fields first.

They put unpaid carers in to group 6 a while ago, as these are people who look after vulnerable loved ones who rely on their carer for day to day life. I am registered as a carer for my clinically vulnerable son, because if I am very ill with Covid or hospitalised he will suffer (and also because he can't be vaccinated as he is only 10).

There are many asthmatics who should be included in the vulnerable group, but to say all asthmatics are the most vulnerable to the virus is simply not true.

@HazeyJaneII
to say all asthmatics are the most vulnerable to the virus is simply not true.

Agree. Good thing I didn’t say that then isn’t it? I was talking about the general scheme of the prioritisation being changed by U.K. government midstream by kicking out some who are clearly more vulnerable to Covid in favour of adding some who are less vulnerable due to perhaps being more “useful” to society.