Some conditions have been removed from shielding list

[AKissAndASmile]

I'd not heard about this and not seen any threads about it on here

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/phone-texts-notify-cancer-transplant-and-asthma-patients-they-are-off-shielding-list#maincontent

This is the first I've heard of this, I'll have to look out for a full list of whose been removed. Thanks OP

The shielding list still seems to be the same on the gov website with no conditions removed though.

I wonder if they sent out blanket messages to range of conditions in the first instance to be on the safe side, and now after doctors etc have looked into the individual patients have realised they aren't severe enough to require shielding?

I saw this and it alarmed me as I have severe asthma, but reasonably well managed, I went to asthma uk website and nothing has changed, many gps, mine included, have been complaining that people that needed to be shielding weren’t included and some people received letters without cause, the list was done without them, quite the shambles.

twitter.com/asthmauk/status/1265685469838401538?s=19

I work in the NHS and haven't had a memo about this.

The original asthma shielding criteria changed over a month ago so you needed to be on steroids (4 times) rather than just a high dose of preventer inhaler. This totally made sense to me as my asthma is very well controlled and not “brittle”. We weren’t told about it but I saw it on the Asthma UK website, and it took me out of the shielding group. However the official advice was to still shield if you had received a letter. This was illogical so I’ve been strictly social distancing instead, and have not yet received a further text or letter. I know it’s a really hard thing to coordinate but it doesn’t seem to have gone well both for those who didn’t receive a letter when they should have done, and those who were included and didn’t need to be.

I wonder if this is because the risk is decreasing or because there was a mistake made about the added risk factor of some conditions.

If it's the latter and I was someone who had been shielding unnecessarily for 9 weeks I'd be seriously upset!

In case anyone does want to see the asthma criteria they are clearest on this page. www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/shielding-advice-high-risk/#Who

@manicinsomniac I shielded for four weeks (you could argue unnecessarily) But was just grateful I didn’t need to any more. I understand we’re still learning more about which underlying conditions increase risk but it seems quite early to make any decisions based on that when the disease is so new.

Asthma is still clinically vulnerable though right? Just not extremely clinically vulnerable/shielding

the Covid outcomes for asthmatics does not seem to be worse than general population so unless you are prone to hospitalisation with your asthma you will probably be fine. I manage an NHS team and 4 of us are asthmatics but still working full-time. We are not on Covid wards every day but go there if we are needed.

cancer & transplant people being removed makes some sense to me, they don't get covid worse than others, being immuno-suppressed is slightly helpful actually (protects against cytokine storm) -- says DD who had to research this for school.

The original criteria were thrown together hastily based on limited information from China and Italy. Much has been learned about the disease since march. Some groups who it was thought were at higher risk have not actually proved to be. Other conditions have been the opposite such as obesity and diabetes.
This is not a list I want to be on so I'm hoping I'll get taken off. I have asthma and bronchiectasis.

Surely it is good news that some people are no longer deemed extremely vulnerable when looking at the type of conditions that have led to a premature death by having covid-19.

There is mild, moderate and severe asthma where some fir the 3 categories and so need to shield whilst other asthmatics have well controlled asthma and have no vastly increased risk

It doesn't seem to be all transplant people though, @lljkk, just liver transplant people.

I'd read somewhere, that rather than underlying respiratory problems being the issue, it is people with underlying vascular problems that seem to fare worst.
I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig that tests the hypothesis though!

I dont understand how they would know re shielded groups as they are shielded so unlikely to havelarge numbers getting ill...
Although diabetics and asthmatic should have been minimum of SD but there have been a lot of diabetics die.

So even if for eg the vulnerable groups have been SD more than average families or having food deliveries etc or sending the non vulnerable family members. So unless the stats come from countries with different rules.

Pregnancy may be slightly more representative as they have to have scans and appts and give birth to i imagine despite being vulnerable more of them would catch it.
Are some diabetics for eg popping to pharmacy for meds? Whereas less likely for asthmatics as it lasts longer.

My understanding, @Keepdistance, is that it is from what they've learned from treating people who have succumbed to the disease.

Initially, it appeared as though it was a respiratory issue, hence the mad scramble to acquire hundreds of ventilators, but then it seems as if, rather than needing ventilators, what sick people needed was oxygen to be given.

The really serious stuff that causes major problems, is very sticky blood, which forms clots and messes up major organs like the kidneys, brain and heart.
So very sick people end up needing dialysis (difficult with clotty blood), are predisposed to strokes, heart attacks etc etc.

So, it's from these observations that the changing views around "risk" are coming.

Disclaimer: I'm no expert, in anything. I just read a lot.!

Diabetes (particularly type 1) can cause vascular disease, hence higher risk.

Shielding is mainly done to protect those who would potentially have poorer outcomes.

I don't know why those who have had liver transplants would be less at risk than another type of transplant.
Maybe someone clever can tell me?

@Incrediblytired yes asthma comes in the more at risk group even if it's mild. I haven't seen any change in that and can't see why they would do.

Thanks @lurkingforawhile

My whole family is asthmatic and I didn’t get a letter but met the asthma Uk criteria for high use inhaler - no oral steroids though. I guess when a respiratory problem is already your Achilles heel, an illness that stops people breathing is worrying.

We are shielding and heard nothing about this either

Could it just be the severe delay in removing people from very early in.

Some regions initially sent se on an original list to the shielding company - that very first list which pretty much included anyone who needed a flu jab.

Then the rules changed and we have two categories: clinically extremely vulnerable (who needed to shield) and the clinically vulnerable (who need to take extra care.)

I know it took a long time to change those lists and some still haven't changed. I get the national shielding messages but I am not in the shielding group. Though I did notice, since reading this thread I fact, that they stopped sending them to me a couple of weeks ago.

@aragog I'm not sure anyone is getting text messages any more! I've heard people complaining about it on the Asthma UK discussion boards. I have to say I quite liked the texts, except the one about packing a hospital bag

Has anyone who is on biologics/anti TNF therapy been told they no longer need to shield? My DH is on Amgemvita (? so) and not heard - in fact had further standard shielding texts last week (the ones that come at regular intervals re having a bag packed, staying 2m away from family etc). He's hoping the risk for his category will go down as he wants to know he's safe to go out again!

Ah, maybe they've given up on the messaging then. My last one was 15 May. As not shielding I did type.stop a.couple of times right at the start but they sent the, anyway so I just left it. They were quite interesting to see what they suggested. My last one was to tell me I should ask family or friends to take my bin out for me, so dh has been told it's officially has to be his job now as 'I'm not allowed' 😂