Getting official CV status? Criteria?

[Mamamidlife]

Not sure if this should go here and on relationships but I’ll ask anyway.
My partner had pneumonia 11 years ago. It involved hospital and a pretty dire situation but pleased to say he recovered and apart from having previously undiagnosed asthma brought to light (and having relevant inhaler to treat it), all well and no episodes since. We think his lungs and respiratory system is a weakness that he has probably always had.
We moved house and GP about 5 years ago. Apparently my DH found out that his medical record went missing and the incidence of pneumonia is missing from his files. He is still having asthma meds and called for a flu jab though.
He believes he hasn’t had the official NHS letter to tell him to shield because of his missing details in his file.
Luckily none of us (we have two teenagers too) have caught Covid and I am being extra careful, not really visiting supermarket, using antibacterial spray on any deliveries, distancing and highly vigilant. Recently DH has tried to stop me from walking with one other person. He is clearly very worried about his risk. Just to give you perspective, today was the first time in 2.5vweeks that I walked with one other person and we both wore masks as an extra means of safety.
I had planned a couple of other walks next week with two different people on separate days but now I’m coming under pressure (and fire!) not to do them.
I have suggested my DH needs to address his missing records with the GP so that he can be vaccinated sooner rather than wait to be lumped in with the over-50 cohort in May or whenever. He says he will do this and I sincerely hope so as I feel like a prisoner in my own home.
He is very ‘off’ with me for walking today despite my distancing and wearing a mask. I feel satisfied that I’m not taking a big risk and it is unfair for him to stonewall me.
I’m not sure he is going to fall into a the highest CV category and that he would even be advised to shield? He needs to be cautious as do we all in the family but not to the point where we can’t see anyone until he eventually gets offered a vaccine.

My mum had a form of v bad pneumonia early 2020 - was hospitalised for 2 weeks whilst they intensively treated it before she had a new hip and wasn't on the shielding list. We felt she'd have been 'next on the list' and obvs she's taking great care as her chest is still not brilliant (along with loads of other things like diabetes, history of breast cancer etc) and being late 70s. Don't know if that helps!

The pneumonia wouldn't make a difference
The criteria is here

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

I presume if he has asthma then his doctors are aware of this, is his asthma severe? If so he would be in category 4 and CEV according to that list. You can book a vaccine if you are category 4 now via the government website.

If not he needs to call his GP and get added to the list.

With regards to the walking, he's being unreasonable IMO. I've been shielding since March but other family members still go for socially distanced walks with others, the transmission rate outside is so low and their mental health needs to be looked after too.

Severe asthma is uncontrolled asthma/ hospital visits/ a certain number of steroid tablets over the last year.

Most people with asthma wont count.

I have asthma, use 2 inhalers and occasional oral steroids, was hospitalised with pneumonia a few years ago and receive an annual flu jab. I certainly wasn’t shielding and my GP told me I just needed to be careful about social distancing. (Ha ha: teacher.) I don’t think your DH or I are necessarily in the “clinically vulnerable” group (priority 6) let alone the CEV category.

Pneumonia isn’t a risk factor. It’s so common and especially in children, if it was a problem then we’d be seeing so many more hospitalisations just for having had pneumonia! The lungs usually heal themselves from it very well.

Asthma, I don’t know about.

Having had pneumonia in the past is not a criterion for either CEV or CV

When did he last have an asthma review? Only the most severe asthma leads to advice to shield and be priority 4 for the jabs, but it is likely most others will be priority 6. If he has not been reviewed recently, perhaps he should book one and talk about vaccine issues then?

Shielded people can if they wish exercise with one other person (outdoors and with good social distancing). There is no reason why the cohabitant of a CEV person should not do the same. It would be unwise if you met lots of people, even with precautions, but he's being an utter arse in seeking to prevent you seeing anyone else at all within the guidelines

Being vaccinated does not mean the CEV can end shielding. But it sounds unlikely that he should have been in this category from what you have posted. And a review wouid definitely settle it

I'm in the extremely clinically vulnerable group and have just had my vaccination this week. I do have asthma but I also have a number of other long term conditions that I would think have been more of a factor. I'm not sure pneumonia would do it.

Why isn't he taking more responsibility for all this? By that I mean, why hasn't he contacted his GP to ask for advice on his status, and why hasn't he got his medical records brought up to date? He can't really complain when he's not made the effort to get it corrected.

Thanks for the responses. It’s very illuminating, I strongly suspect that although he is categorising (or catastrophising depending on how you see it🙄) himself as ‘severe’ in the asthmatic sense, he is not. He hasn’t had a hospital admission for respiratory things for years now.
I’m not suggesting his anxiety isn’t real, more a sense of perspective about his health needs to be regained.
Yes, he should organise to get his medical records in order. Obviously this could have a big impact so he is irresponsible not to have already done it.
I am currently being ignored, more or less, and am sat in a different room.
I will not be bullied by his fears. I have been incredibly vigilant, I have very much done all that I can and I wouldn’t deliberately put him at risk - tempting as it is when he’s behaving like this 🙄🤣- so I will continue to occasionally see a friend for a distant walk.

Being in a CEV group is like the new Anxiety on Mumsnet! Every bugger seems to have it.
Yes I’m slightly trolling with this post, but maybe there’s some truth in it.

@UmbilicusProfundus I speak to a lot of customers over the phone and yes, a lot refer to shielding "because of their age"
I suspect it's got muddled up somewhere because people keep referring to shielding the elderly etc
And yes I'm CEV due to a blood disorder

catastrophising depending on how you see it
Like man-flu then

Going off the point, but I was shocked how inaccurate my DD’s health records were when she requested them in regards to childhood/teen vaccinations. I had assumed there would be some proper record keeping. Fortunately, I still had all the details and dates of what she had had and when.

I had pneumonia and was hospitalised several years ago. I did have a inhaler for a ŵhile but no longer. It's in my records.it doesn't make me CV or CEV. The pneumonia isn't a risk factor at all as far as I know.

I'm CV due to other health issues. I also,qualify for the free flu vaccine, I initially got the CEV and shielding stuff but that was retracted after a few weeks and moved to Cv.

DD's boyfriend has severe asthma which has left damage to his lungs. He has steroids for it and has need hospital treatment most years. He got the initial CEV/shielding lessons though that's now unclear according to his Gp, and he may 'just' be CV now. As an older teen he never shielded anyway as his GP suggested he didn't need to. He's received an email regarding being called for the vaccine but not yet - so even his level of asthma doesn't appear to be classed as CEV.

Friend's husband was hospitalised with pneumonia ten years ago. He's not been told to shield and has been going to work as normal.

From what I can see, chronic ongoing conditions are far more likely to lead to someone being classed as CEV. So that just leaves the asthma, and I don't wish to minimise how serious asthma can be, but you said his is under control.

FWIW, speaking as a CEV person, I think he's asking a lot to expect you not to have any contact with anyone outside the household even when done with distancing and masks. Unless you were meeting people who I knew were reckless about Covid and had been mixing freely and not distancing or mask wearing at other times, I would feel you have the right to a life if you're taking all the precautions you should and meeting outdoors. He can't reasonably expect you to restrict everything you do when he's taken no steps himself to question his medical status. I had my first shielding letter in April last year. He's had plenty of time to talk to his GP about this if he felt it was wrong. I wonder if he actually doesn't want to be told for sure that he doesn't need to shield.

Stonewalling you over this is not on. I would tell him he needs to ring the GP tomorrow to settle the issue and that you won't be treated like a naughty child when he's not taking responsibility for himself.

I’ve has pneumonia with flu a few years ago, I’m not dismissing it, I was bloody poorly but it’s def not a reason to shield or be ECV. I’ve never even thought about it. I recovered & on with life. I have asthma, I’ve had it since I was a baby. It’s well controlled & considered fairly mild as I haven’t had a hospital admission for years with it & my inhalers do the job. Pretty sure my asthma doesn’t even put me on the vulnerable list. I’ll be waiting a long time.

So his GP knows about his asthma and he gets called for a flu jab. That on it's own is not cause for CEV or CV.
Having pneumonia 11 years ago is also not criteria and would certainly not have resulted in a shielding letter. Look at those conditions on the list for shielding, they are very serious current illnesses.
It does sound as though he has health anxiety. In any case if he is over 50 he will get the first dose pretty soon the way things are moving.

What medication is he on?

Does he meet the definition :
Patient with ANY ICD-10 code falling within this disease group since 1 April 2006

AND

For Asthma, those who have been prescribed a LABA or LABA/ICS or leukotriene over the past six months AND who have had four or more prescriptions for prednisolone over the six months
For COPD, those patients who are prescribed “triple therapy” inhalers and/or roflumilast

I think he’s been quite unreasonable actually. It seems unlikely he would be in the CEV/shielding category and if he wants to prove it/get moved up the jab list then he needs to speak to the GP. What you’re doing is very low risk and probably very good for your physical and mental health. Just wash your hands thoroughly when you return.

Ps what Pp said below. Exactly this.

He can't reasonably expect you to restrict everything you do when he's taken no steps himself to question his medical status.