Looks like if you're under 50 with 'moderate' asthma, you're not getting the vaccine

[denfit]

Since March, if you take a daily steroid inhaler (e.g. Symbicort), but you don't take steroid tablets (e.g. Montelukast), then you have been in the 'moderate' risk group and are clinically vulnerable instead of clinically extremely vulnerable.

So far so good, right?

Well the latest vaccine priority groups have chucked moderate asthmatics completely off the list for vaccination!

Link here. You only get a vaccine in priority group 6 if you take systemic steroids. Which a daily steroid inhaler isn't.

Unbelievable.

See the table and explanation on pages 8-9.

Montelukast isn't a steroid.

I don’t understand why this is unbelievable? Can you expand a bit?

@How2Help

I don’t understand why this is unbelievable? Can you expand a bit?

Presumably because asthma sufferers would benefot from the vaccine to prevent covid risks.

@filthyanimal

Montelukast isn't a steroid.

You're quite right, in my disbelief at what I was typing I put an extra 'steroid' in the OP. Point stands.

So steroid inhalers are not steroids? I don’t get it

It would seem intuitively obvious that people with moderate asthma are more at risk from Covid, so that’s what people assumed at first but as I understand it several million cases later there’s no substantial evidence that this is in fact the case.

@How2Help

I don’t understand why this is unbelievable? Can you expand a bit?

Seriously?

So, moderate asthmatics have been in the clinically vulnerable group for ten months. They have had to take extra care with social distancing and other measures. If they get Covid, they are at higher risk of complications than those who are not clinically vulnerable.

(I do wonder sometimes if people have been hiding under a rock for months!)

And yet even though they have this lung condition, they have now been chucked off the list for receiving a vaccine. They were on the original list. Now, gone.

It's very concerning.

I take montelukast and am not in the shielding group. I also take a steroid inhaler 5-8 times a day. They are prioritising people in the shielding group as they are more at risk of dying from covid.

Such a as beclometasone aren’t steroid inhalers?

@Sb2012

So steroid inhalers are not steroids? I don’t get it

They are not classed as a "systemic" steroid, no.

Doesn't this mean that you're lower risk than you were originally considered to be?

Presumably because there isn’t a significant link between asthma and a poor prognosis with covid. Some Asthma sufferers were originally told to shield in the early days when we knew less about covid.

I thought Asthma sufferers didn’t fair any worse with Covid than none suffers? I’ve got asthma & my doctors always told me that luckily for me, I’m no higher risk than anyone else. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I think as times gone on, they are much more aware of the high risk groups & it seems to be the more vascular illness rather than lungs!

I suppose the steroid taking lowers the immune system a bit..

Op the table in that link says use of steroids puts you in group 6. Isn’t something like beclometasone (brown inhaler) a steroid though?

We will get it eventually, but we are not in a high priority group. There doesn't seem to be much evidence that moderate asthma is a risk factor in severe covid. I'm sure I read somewhere that asthmatics were actually less likely to have severe covid.

Ah get you. Systemic inhalers.
👍🏽

I thought the tiers would be just for the start. So elderly and essential workers then at later date after them all other adults? Are you saying if you are under 65 and not extremely vulnerable you can jog on?

It’s weird though amd doesn’t make any sense because people on the steroid inhalers qualify for the flu vaccine.

Right after the table of clinical risk groups it says "this is not an exhaustive list" - leaving some room in that group for clinical judgement to be applied and people included, if necessary.

I’m very confused now - aren’t those in table 3 CEVs anyway who would get the vaccine as part of priority group four?

I’m pleased to hear this

Means the doc will chase after me later rather than sooner!

Argh, pressed post while editing and spotted had this backwards. Ignore the previous one.

I thought data had shown that only those with severe asthma were at increased risk?

Most asthmatics seem to have similar outcomes with COVID as non asthmatics so there is no need for us to be priority for the vaccine