Calling fellow shielders - What Whitty just said

[iVampire]

At least we got a mention!

But what do we think he meant by ‘should take extra precautions’?

He seemed to be trailing a further announcement in a couple of weeks. And did acknowledge the difficulties, loneliness and mental strain of living in prolonged isolation.

I wonder if that’ll mean keeping daily outdoors exercise and not removing bubbles from those who live alone?

notevenat20 my consultant has advised me to carry on shielding

Can you explain what that means exactly?

@notevenat20

notevenat20 my consultant has advised me to carry on shielding

Can you explain what that means exactly?

@notevenat20

I have also been advised to shield by my consultant, back to basics - no shops or restaurants, work at home, no mixing indoors with anyone except my household or bubble.
I have disregarded this for my mental health but I am still being cautious and sensible.

I have also been advised to shield by my consultant, back to basics - no shops or restaurants, work at home, no mixing indoors with anyone except my household or bubble.

Thanks for letting me know. It seems the new CEV guidance is not this strict unless you are in Liverpool or nearby.

@notevenat20 WFH, no supermarket shopping or socialising

Thank you @scaevola and @JamieLeeCurtains for linking the updated page

As I have a haematological cancer it says I remain on the list. And it looks as if daily (well distanced) outdoors exercise will continue to be allowed, so I think I’ll cope even if the shutters come down again.

Very uncompromising language about employers who do not make workplaces sufficiently Covid-secure (mentions prosecutions, but also a fund to defray some extra costs)

Well I'm none the wiser, tbh. I'm on a biologic immune suppressant (just since September), have auto-immune disorders, and am generally decrepit.

I'm going with the "Careful now!" Father Ted approach, and not shielding, for the same of my mental health. But I'll be really careful.

I've not heard from any of my consultants anyway, and my GP always seems surprised when I want to talk to her about any aspects of my illness so I can't see she'd have any opinion on this one way or another.

@Grausse You seem to be in the same position as me, immunosuppressants and asthma.

Have you seen this?

gut.bmj.com/content/69/7/1213

Not a huge sample but still encouraging

I am feeling like a sitting duck at the moment. DD is at school, has already had a lergy since going back and got tested, negative. Today one of her classmates' mother has tested positive. Class mate not being tested, so do I hide from dd for a few days? I really have no idea!

Similar here - I want DD to be in school but I’m finding out more about when someone near her is being tested from her SM than from the school. Even though I have explained to them that knowing makes a difference (so I can isolate from her at home only when heightened risk not the whole damned time)

Seems us vampires are more prone to being high risk eh?

It's just impossible and stressful, and will be til they get a vaccine or we go into another full lockdown, which will then obv be stressful in other ways and further destroy the economy. Bah.

@CountessDracula yes, I'm not so concerned about the asthma and immunosuppresants but I also have bronchiectasis and was on cancer antibody treatment (now ended) when the first shielding letters were issued.
Its the bronchiectasis which worries me although I'm not under hospital any more for that.
I'm not going to imprison myself like last time. I will go out but avoid busy crowded places. No restaurants or bars.
Haven't hugged my sons since March

That's awful, you poor thing. Bronchiectasis must be worrying, my MIL had it so I know a bit about it. Agree hiding away is not on, I never shielded like that, took the dog out every day but didn't go near anyone. No shops or anything, no socialising. But no hugging is just grim

@Grausse I have bronchiectasis too which is why I was on the shielding list. In the summer my consultant told me to keep shielding but no updates since then so not sure what's best. I just can't do the soul destroying version that meant I was separated from my family for 4 months again and I am seeing friends but being careful about distancing. Still haven't been in a shop though do visit a cafe now and again. Don't know whether to cut that out but my mental health was shot by the last lot of this. My bronch is severe and widespread so I still do worry about what covid could do :(

Let's hope diabetics (and hypertensives and all cardiovascular patients) are included this time. There's no way the government can pretend to have not seen the data from around the world, showing that 1 in 4 of all the deaths are diabetics.

Re immunosuppressants and biologics. Several are in clinical trials as potential treatments for Covid. It might explain why RA patients, for example, are underrepresented in the hospitalisations. There's also indication that some initially thought to be higher risk patients, including asthma, are in actual fact not. Perhaps because Covid is more a vascular and inflammatory disease.

Obviously caution for all is still advised. Everyone is at risk of the potential long-term disability of Long Covid.

@Madhairday I actually feel safer in shops than cafes. I feel in a cafe you are sharing space for longer than a few moments. I go to shops at quiet times and with masks feel I can keep as far as possible from others. Some shops not so good and I avoid them but a large airy store at 4pm when it's empty seems fine.

@CountessDracula - it’s a name I adopted when I was diagnosed with leukaemia. I hope you’re basically OK - all about the blood for you too?

DHs work have said he can go home anytime he feels uncomfortable. His work is secure though and he has a separate office. The only space he shares is a bathroom. No one is allowed in his office, they have to stand at the door in a mask. He’s been to our corner shop a handful of times since March and to B&Q. Nowhere else though.

DH is also a vampire ( I'm on the next lust down with lupus and CKD) and we are just continuing to be extremely careful. Online shopping, no socialising indoors at all, and keeping it to two other people outside. We're carrying on with walks and surfing, as the early total shut in messed with our heads.
Not seeing family is bad.
And other people's attitudes have shocked us...a lack of empathy or understanding of the position we have decided to take. "Shielding" has become a word too easily bandied about, rather than a very specific set of advisories for a very specific set of people.

"lust"???? List of course! ( I wish!)

@ivampire I was given this name on here in about 2003 when I posted a very pale picture of myself with my baby dd (now 18!) after a massive PPH and 10 litre blood transfusion.

It's nice to have found a thread of shielders, I didn't think of looking on here, I barely come here these days other than to answer the odd q on dd's school when someone asks!

Sorry to hear about your leukemia ivampire, I am def at the lower end of risk, Dr said that if I wasn't asthmatic as well as on azathioprine I wouldn't be asked to shield. The stats I posted below indicate that the risk for me is pretty low I reckon but don't want to risk it or to have long covid!

The type of leukaemia I have is one that can be treated very effectively and I’m in good nick right now. Long may it stay that way!!

It’s also (if I understood my consultant correctly) the type they worry about least in terms of consequences of covid). But we’re risky for any infection - a wonky immune system cannot be relied on and the sepsis risk from anything is high. Also if we get covid badly enough to mean hospital, then for 1/3 it’s fatal (I try not to dwell on that!)