Can someone clarify the asthma situation?

[Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady]

At first people with asthma were in group 6

Then they weren't

Now apparently people who use a brown preventer inhaler are back in group 6.

I used to use a brown inhaler but was using my blue one too much (asthma was not controlled) so they moved me to symbicort which is a combined inhaler.

So am I on the list for group 6 or not, as I don't use a brown inhaler anymore.

Does anyone know or could link to the guidance?

Lots of people have asthma, but once you take out those under 16 (too young) and over 49 (get it based on age); those with other conditions that place them in groups 4 or 6 anyway; those who are eligible due to being a carer or working in healthcare etc; those who can’t have it due to allergy or other risk factor like pregnancy..... it’s a much smaller group.

It’s 4.3 million adults in the UK according to Asthma UK, but as @Barbeasty says, some will be covered in higher groups due to age or occupation, some will have been in group 4, and presumably some are also only using a reliever not a preventer, so below flu jab threshold.

The BBC graphic says 7.3 million in group 6, but I don’t know how this is calculated

Good point, a reasonable number will have been shielding, either due to asthma or due to another condition - I know a few people on immunosuppresents for RA and other forms of inflammatory arthritis who had to shield and also happen to have asthma.

As a common condition there must be a fair number of asthmatics working as HCP's and vaccinated as a result.

Add on those already vaccinated due to age and maybe we aren't an overly large group after all.

I'm severe asthmatic . In the CEV/shielding group and my covid vaccine is on Wednesday.
I had suspected covid March 2020.Still have some long term symptoms.Group 6 originally but moved up due to steriod use.
I'm glad I'm having the vaccine,but still a little nervous.

I don't know if this is helpful, my GP said that to be in group 4 for asthma you need to be on immune suppressants and have high dose steriods/& oral steriods x4 per year.

I carry a steriod emergency card.

Littlegreenparrot I am also in group 4 due to severe asthma and had my jab last week. I am not on immunosuppressants (unless tiotropium is an immunosuppressant- I don’t think it is) but I do fit the other criteria that your GP mentioned. I have a steroid emergency card and your post has prompted me to put it in my wallet rather than leaving it festering in my medication box!

Finding out that we aren’t going to get the vaccine anytime soon is the most depressing part of this whole pandemic for me.

@catkintoadflax and @littlegreenparrot - what do you mean by steroid emergency card?

Is that the 'high dose inahled corticosteroids' card they give you in case you're in an accident so that the Doctor knows you may need a higher dose of steroids than normal?

I have an emergency steroid card due to oral steroids combined with high dose inhaled steroids.

It's a little white card with red writing, to be carried in a purse or wallet so emergency services know you use higher dose steroids.

Issued by the GP.

@CaffiSaliMali yes that’s the card, except I think it’s due to the high number of steroid tablets I take in addition to the steroid inhalers. It arrived one day in my monthly medication delivery.

My husband has his review with the asthma nurse on Friday.

He has a daily steroid inhaler (brown) a preventer (blue)
The nurse told him he will be vaccinated in group 6 because he has a steroid inhaler and is therefore considered to have moderate asthma.

Mine has a green back and is white on the front. My asthma nurse gave it to me two years ago but it was signed by my GP (ironically by the same GP who didn't think I was asthmatic because I don't wheeze).

It seems some GP surgeries are saying yes and some are saying no to asthmatics being in group 6. What a mess!

Out of interest @sweetlikechamond, how did your husband attend his asthma review? Was it a phone call or a face to face?

I used to have them every 2-4 months with the asthma nurse but my last one was January 2020. My surgery hasn't been doing them due to Covid.

My spacer is over a year old, it was prescribed in Nov 2019 after an asthma attack and I think they need replacing annually so I need to request one, but don't have the asthma reviews to do so any more. Will have to do an eConsult so might ask about how they will conduct asthma reviews then.

It does seem a real mess, I saw posts on here a couple of weeks ago where people said they had been vaccinated as asthmatics under group 6, but others are being told they don’t qualify.

The nurse who did my asthma review didn’t even seem aware of the vaccination groups and just said it was all age based.

@CaffiSaliMali I had my review by phone last week. Probably not ideal as she couldn’t check my peak flow or inhaler technique as they normally do. I didn’t know spacers were meant to be replaced, I think mine is a few years old, and she checked if I used one, but didn’t suggest giving me a new one.

@Eccle80 - i vaguely recall my asthma nurse telling me to ask for a new one after a year when she gave me it. I just checked the asthma UK advice on spacers and they say they need replacing at least every year.

I'll do my eConsult later and ask them for a new prescription.

I had a great phone call with my doctor's surgery yesterday who are generally useless. Had to call them about something else but I thought I'd enquire anyway about asthma and the vaccine considering the consensus at the moment seems to be it's down to the individual doctors surgery. He went off to enquire and when came back,told me I'd be "way,way,way way down the list for vaccine and priority due to age" (I'm 39). I had to laugh as I knew they weren't going to give me a useful answer that considered my asthma but just the way he emphasized HOW not a priority I was...I mean talk about reading the room!

Update. My 21 yard old daughter who is at University and has asthma and small septal defect got a call today from the Uni doctor and she is getting her first vaccination at the main GP surgery on Saturday. I’m very relieved.

I guess this is one of the cases that is done on the GP’s discretion. I have no idea but am happy.

Asthma UK have an update - it seems some asthmatics are in group 6 and some aren't.

Not clear yet who is included.

Anyone else seen this? Looks like it will come down to a GP decision as to whether we are ‘well controlled’ or not. Surely that far more time consuming for GPs than just inviting everyone who gets the flu jab.
I can’t say I feel very reassured,

Here's a link to the guidance:
www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/what-should-people-with-asthma-do-now/#Vaccine

The latest tweets (today) say they're still trying to sort it out. Really not good enough.

So the link says we aren’t at a greater risk of dying, but do have a slightly increased chance of being hospitalised, and PHE have classed us as a group with increased risk.

I agree, it isn’t good enough, many areas are already inviting people in group 6. Who is going to make the decision on which asthmatics are in group 6 and when are they going to do it?

I'm on Fostair 100/6 and Montelukast. Diagnosed 2 years ago and it took us a while to stabilise my asthma. It only improved with Montelukast and worsened every time they tried to take me off it.

Asthma has been great in lockdown because I can avoid my 2 main triggers - colds/flu and cigarette smoke. Whereas before I would catch all sorts of bugs in the office and on the tube, they'd go to my chest and require antibiotics. I also had to share a small office with smokers which also triggered my symptoms.

I wonder if 'higher dose' preventers and/or add on treatments will be the criteria for group 6?

They want to open things back up as soon as possible and are counting on us not dying in huge numbers.

They don’t care if you’ve been careful the whole time, if you have to go back to work unvaccinated, if you have to watch everyone else’s freedom increase while you choose between your health and having a life.

And the public will be told that everyone vulnerable has been vaccinated.

So the link says we aren’t at a greater risk of dying, but do have a slightly increased chance of being hospitalised, and PHE have classed us as a group with increased risk.

Surely it benefits the NHS not to have a load of asthmatics in hospital with Covid, even if most survive, they're still needing NHS resources and care whilst in hospital.

I think they'll use the meds we take as the criteria for determining who gets it and who doesn't. If GP's had to review every asthmatic on their patient list it would take forever.

@Bluebelle41

Finding out that we aren’t going to get the vaccine anytime soon is the most depressing part of this whole pandemic for me.

I agree. There is going to be a division once lockdown starts getting lifted - those who have been vaccinated and don't get ill and those who haven't been vaccinated and still get ill (or worse). No wonder there is resentment. Failure by JCVI to give clear definitions is causing even more inequalities because some GP practices want to include as many as possible in the eligible groups and some practices want to exclude as many as possible. So whether you get a vaccination that you are likely eligible for will depend on the attitude of your GP practice and likely on the attitude of non-medically qualified practice manager.

"Failure by JCVI to give clear definitions..."

To be fair, @myvaccineisnotsurplus - the JCVI has been very clear. They have specifically said that moderate and mild asthmatics (i.e. any asthmatic who is NOT shielding), will NOT be getting the jab in group 6.