Will there be any specific advice for people with underlying conditions or have I missed it?

[Littlemiss74]

My lovely Dad has Alzheimer's and his care home have announced today they are not allowing visitors for the time being. Although this saddens me as he gets so much benefit from family visiting I'm kind of glad that they've made decision and everyone knows what's happening.

I am immunosuppressed, RA meds, and I can't find clear advice as to what I should be doing. I know about self isolation etc but what l's the advice re working, going to supermarket, parents evenings, kids activities etc?

My employer knows about
my condition but I haven't been told to work from home. But then I saw a lady on the news who has MS and she said she's not leaving her house at all.

Is there any clear guidance anywhere for people with underlying conditions? They keep saying we are most vulnerable but what are we meant to do for what could be months??

Yes, this is really bothering me! Appears to have been missing from the official guidance - they talk about the ambition of allowing the virus to pass through the otherwise healthy population, to create a more general immunity in the public at large on the herd principle, but not how the virus is supposedly going to skip over the vulnerable members of the population while this is happening.

Vulnerable people will only be protected if significant extra steps are taken for their own circumstances, but that needs to mandated to enable negotiation with employers, schools etc. And support needs to be made in the welfare state for this, as people for whom the nature of their jobs mean that they can't work from home, may have to take a leave of absence from work for a period of time; not because they are ill with the virus, nor because they may have been exposed and are self-isolating while watching and waiting, but purely because it is too risky for them to attend work. I feel very concerned about people in these types of situation.

It's just odd isn't it that they keep saying these
vulnerable groups need to be protected but they don't say how we are meant to do it.

I'm off work today anyway but I'm feeling increasingly anxious about being around people in the office. Every time someone coughs (and there is one lady near me who is always coughing) I feel nervous. But at the same time I can't just work from home for months on end even though I have the ability to work from home laptop etc.

If I did work from home I could still catch it from the supermarket. With 2 children life can't just
stop can it.

I don't really know what to do and it's on my mind constantly which is making me anxious.

There does seem to be a lack of guidance both for the public and professionals
My DH is a frontline dr in a hospital and even what they are getting is a bit mixed and changing rapidly.
My mums Alzheimer's day services have all been cancelled which she won't really understand. She still has her carer visits but she's not going to understand the isolation. We are trying to balance some family visits but that is difficult when we don't live close and also don't want to risk exposing her and we have greater risk of spreading - kids, healthcare workers and I'm also at risk myself (immunosuppressed)
Unfortunately she will no longer really speak on the phone - we are still working out how we are going to manage this one.

The main advice is don't get it.

I know that sounds facetious, but it isn't.

Keep your DCs home if you can.
Everyone washes hands as they come in.
Wear gloves to stop yourself touching your face.
Wash hands before you eat, handle clean dishes, prepare food etc.

Stay well- don't get over tired or very cold.
Keep a window open so the air doesn't get muggy.

When you shop, leave a gap in front of you in the queue, go at quiet times. Use hand sanitiser.

Take vitamin D as it helps respiratory function apparently.

I hope that doesn't sound scary- it's what my household is doing.

Not that I know of. No guidance or allowance to keep your child home if they have an autoimmune or asthmatic either

@wonkylegs it's hard isn't it. My Dad's care home
have said we can call anytime to talk to him but he won't know who it is if he can't see us and he doesn't say much now anyway. I'd rather that than him catching it though.

I'm wondering if I should message my boss today to express my concerns and see if the company have any thoughts on what should happen with vulnerable employees.
Trouble is I am not one for ever making a fuss so this would put me a bit out of my comfort zone!

Are you able to work from home? If everyone who can does, that will really slow it down.
You definitely should message and point out that with a slight temperature gov advice is to stay home-

you may as well work from home from the start and stay productive and well for as long as possible.

I'm going to ask to work from home. They can only say no.. seems kind of overly passive not to even ask (not accusing you of being passive, but that was my thought process).

Yes I might just ask. My boss did say if I had any concerns I need to tell them. Part of me just thinks its a bit silly though as I could work from home and then pick it up while out at the shops!
I'd kind of just like to work at home until there is a bit of proper guidance... if that does happen!

and again i say if i keep my vulnerable child home i am told it will be unauthorised and therefore fined...

We are doing bugger all to protect the most vulnerable

@Hazelnutlatteplease that's terrible, it's such a worrying time.
They really need to issue guidance for the vulnerable.
My worry is that because my condition is invisible and I look absolutely fine people will think why does she need to work from home? If there was something official I could show them I would feel better about it.

I think were going to hang on until Wednesday and "get a cold so need to self isolate" then. We've only just had our first case in our county today. If i could I'd have taken him out this week. Wouldnt have impacted on anyone as im his carer.

Friend of DD has a sibling who has been actually advised by medical professionals that the whole family needs to start social distancing now. Shes also in school, told that her parents will be fined.

The least they could do right now is remove fines for pre existing conditions

I agree. Surely schools would know about these children so should be supporting them and their families at such a stressful time.

Its in DS' Educational Health Care plan that he become very ill with nominally minor illness. Yet still here we are....

Most of the comments I've read seem to just assume that vulnerable people (myself and family included) are collateral damage and will most likely just die.

I'm finding it quite surreal tbh.

@CrocodileFondue the words "natural selection" were used this morning on a FB group I'm in. It's usually pretty well moderated but the admins just seem to let talking about disabled people like that slide

@BadCatDirtyCat, Yep. It's appalling! Some people seem to think this could even be a good thing, get rid of all the weaker humans and make us stronger as a species.

Matt Hancock was asked this at his statement in the HoC this week. He said it was very important that people had the right advice.. and added something vague about they'd think about what this might be. I'd never heard him speak before, but by the end of it I wouldn't have trusted him to run a bath without needing several meetings and a science advisor first.

I'm very torn between work commitments - everything gaily carrying on - and the increasing anxiety. Unless something comes from govt to make this acceptable to employers they won't validate isolation, but I'm risking two people every time I go to work right now.

I've emailed my consultant to ask him what he thinks bearing in mind there is no official guidance. Have a feeling he'll sit on the bloody fence though!

My social worker laughed in my face when I raised concerns (yes really). My GP has said they'll "have words" with the social worker, so they'll be getting short shrift for that.

I'm very high risk and live rurally. No deliveries here for anything. Bit of a nightmare to say the least.

I saw my GP and asked them the same thing you are. After a mini rant about lack of constructive advice (they too are at risk due to underlying conditions) they suggested the following -

Using hand sanitiser - which I've been using long term anyway, though am worried I'll run out for obvious reasons!

Shopping/getting meds - go at the quietest times so first thing/in evening (not as easy as it sounds). And avoid doing anything else.

Keep an eye on my mental health.

Ignore anyone who accuses me of scaremongering/being silly etc.

There's been no advice officially other than expect to die.

To be honest my GP was amazing, she had some bad news re health anyway for me and was supportive of me. My specialists are based in London and I cannot possibly follow their advice, which was basically to stay in until it blows over getting everything delivered (with shared facilities that realistically was never going to be an option anyway).

People however, are being stupid. Going out its symptoms, saying they're going on holiday to rural places which are "safe" from places which are not. I've had FB advertising trips locally to me (my location is disabled, currently my device thinks I live in Reading!) and several ads for rail travel across Europe. All at slashed prices. I'm sure people will be booking these trips.

As are 111. All the posters around here still state only possible to get if you've travelled to various countries. We are a rural community and tourist hot spot having had people coming here from all over the uk and Europe for the last two weeks. Yet 111 refusing to test if no personal travel, still.

Also, it may not be hitting the news but some of us are still dealing with storms and flooding in our communities as well as this threat.

Anyone using the term "natural selection" has been given short shrift and binned from my social media. Anyone posting about going on holidays to rural areas which are already seriously struggling with lack of NHS resources anyway having lost a lot of GP surgeries and hospital services to bigger cities and expected to travel hours are also getting short shrift.

DS has underlying health conditions so I've been checking all info I can
this link [[https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html#who-is-higher-risk ]] is American but quite helpful.

Opps. Pressed send not preview. apologies for the ranting!

My DH has a heart condition and is a teacher.

He has had no useful advice.

The union says to seek advice from a health professional. His consultant was rather gung ho and wittered on about the flu jab.

DDs firm are in the process of setting up contingency plans (some may say better late than never, but I suspect, like the football league, they were.underwhelmed by the government "advice").

One of the first things they will be doing is asking

i’m immunosuppressed as i take methotrexate for psoriatic arthritis. my thyroid is beyond fucked and am waiting for surgery to remove it.

i don’t even know if i’m supposed to keep going for blood tests, let alone what the advice is generally for the ‘vulnerable’ people Boris is hoping will do the decent thing and cark it in the first wave.

lots of advice about not very much. i am staying indoors regardless!