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Original poster

Should Shielding be brought back?

113 replies

nettie68 · 27/12/2021 07:59

Should shielding be brought back for those that want it? I know some people prefered to prioritise their mental health and not shield but if clincially extremely vulnerable people wish to shield, then shouldn't there be the help to do so. At the moment, if you are CEV, you still need to attend work if you can't work from home. What about other household members, should their be support for them too, as if they need to go to work then they could still bring the virus home to the vulnerable person. Surely this would also alleviate some of the pressure on the hospitals as well.

OP posts:
Original poster
nettie68 · 27/12/2021 09:08

@RachC2021

Government should consider sending a supply of FFP3 masks to those who needed a third primary dose of the vaccines. Must surely be cheaper than shielding, especially as only the vulnerable person needs them rather than an entire household shielding.
This would at least be something
OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 27/12/2021 09:08

@nettie68

*What do you think the CEV should do then?
We make a choice. I'm CEV and immunosuppressed and the vaccine gives me little protection, but long before covid came along, I've had to be very careful around people with things such as colds, flu or anything else transmissible. A simple cold or flu can land me in deep trouble.

For me, it's about deciding how normal a life I want. I'm choosing as normal as I can.

Nat6999 · 27/12/2021 09:09

I only got notified I was in the shielding group in April this year, I'm housebound so technically I am still shielding now & will be for the rest of my life.

Caramellatteplease · 27/12/2021 09:09

Tbh DS has been ill for most of December anyway so we are not really going very far either or for the foreseeable future at the moment. Everyone has to find their own balance.

Is a change of job/workplace possible for you? Eg online teaching for teachers etc

Waxonwaxoff0 · 27/12/2021 09:10

I'd rather people like yourself and husband be supported to shield OP than lockdowns and restrictions for the entire country so yes I'd support it and happily pay a bit of extra tax for it.

Original poster
nettie68 · 27/12/2021 09:14

@Waxonwaxoff0

I'd rather people like yourself and husband be supported to shield OP than lockdowns and restrictions for the entire country so yes I'd support it and happily pay a bit of extra tax for it.
Thank you, people don't want to be locked down either and I think supporting people to shield is probably costs less than locking down and having to pay furlough to a good many more people.
OP posts:
gogohm · 27/12/2021 09:15

There's now medications for the vulnerable so it's not as necessary plus they have learned more about who is more vulnerable. Obviously individuals can choose but should employers be forced to keep employees on who aren't working and the government covers most of their pay, no probably not needed

MichelleScarn · 27/12/2021 09:15

@Caramellatteplease

DS14 is CEV. We have kinda continued our own shielding.

He and his sister are still homeschooling and we ask people to test before they come over. He hasnt been to a swimming pool or the cinema since the start of the pandemic nor used a bus or train. His club he used to do hasn't restarted (I suspect wont now).

We have done many theme park visits and outdoor attractions.

It seems weird that for some people life is more or less back to normal. It really isnt for us.

Have you always homeschooled? How old is dd and has she had to stop all out of house activity too?
gogohm · 27/12/2021 09:19

It's a balancing act and employers whose staff cannot work from home need them in, furlough simply is very difficult, before the vaccine there was no choice but now there's no compensation for employers

Roselilly36 · 27/12/2021 09:20

@nettie68

But the vaccine doesn't necessarily work for CEV, particularly if you are immune suppressed.
Yes I agree.
Oblomov21 · 27/12/2021 09:22

How many CEV immunosuppressed who vaccine don't work for? How many people does this apply to?

It must be a small number.

Tillyvonpantsalo · 27/12/2021 09:25

I have been in your situation. I carried on working (schooll).
Your employer should carry out risk assessments for you.

RachC2021 · 27/12/2021 09:31

@Oblomov21

How many CEV immunosuppressed who vaccine don't work for? How many people does this apply to?

It must be a small number.

Half a million were expected to qualify for a third primary dose of vaccine. A proportion of those the vaccines won’t work for even after three plus boosters, but they’re still working out that proportion.
Davros · 27/12/2021 09:37

New treatments available for the most vulnerable:

The NHS is offering new antibody and antiviral treatments to people with coronavirus (COVID-19) who are at highest risk of becoming seriously ill.
2 types of COVID-19 treatment are available:
• sotrovimab (Xevudy))_
• molnupiravir (Lagevrio))_
Sotrovimab is a biological medicine. It is also known as a neutralising monoclonal antibody (nMAb).
Molnupiravir is an antiviral medicine.
These treatments can help some people manage their COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill.

Innocenta · 27/12/2021 09:40

I'm CEV and have been advised to continue shielding. We did ease up just a little bit before Omicron - but even then we were the most Covid cautious people I'm aware of in 'real life'. But I was also doing CEV things before Covid (like wearing masks, avoiding crowds in winter) so it's not completely new. I think it's harder for CEV people who are otherwise well and had basically normal lives before the pandemic - they've lost more. I had long periods of being housebound and bedbound earlier in my life too, so I've already 'practised' (as it were) for shielding; it's not as difficult for me.

I'm so sorry for the pressures of your situation, OP. Unimaginably hard. Sad

Oblomov21 · 27/12/2021 09:40

RachC I think/suspect that out of those 1/2 million, the number of CEV who vaccine not work for and would still need to shield, is very very small.

Oblomov21 · 27/12/2021 09:41

Shielding should NOT be bought back.

Innocenta · 27/12/2021 09:42

@Oblomov21

RachC I think/suspect that out of those 1/2 million, the number of CEV who vaccine not work for and would still need to shield, is very very small.
I know the vaccine has worked well for me (antibody test), but because of the nature and extent of my disabilities, I could still get seriously ill with Covid. I've been hospitalised with an actual cold, before - it sucks, but there you go. Obviously glad I've had the vaccine to mitigate the impact somewhat.
Innocenta · 27/12/2021 09:42

@Oblomov21 Out of curiosity, why not?

Feelingoktoday · 27/12/2021 09:47

No sorry I don’t think shielding should be brought back. We have to take personal responsibility for our lives. Lots of very vulnerable people are at risk of peanuts but we don’t advise them to stay indoors for ever. They make an assessment of the risk and then decide.

Cherryblossoms85 · 27/12/2021 09:50

Your situation is sad, but also unsure how as a country we can afford to change it. There are and always have been people who are vulnerable even to minor infection. They have always had to live very difficult lives fraught with risk for everyday activities. Unless you want permanent lockdown that is unlikely to change.

Oblomov21 · 27/12/2021 09:50

Inno, just because I don't believe it's required. Generally.

I understand OP's point, but there are ways round her difficult situation. Mostly it comes down to finance. Can she afford to take long term leave. How often to they do covid risk assessments at her work, how high is the risk of her getting it from work? What job does she do? Could they limit all f-2-f contact? Do it by email or phone, to protect her?

BlueShirtGuy · 27/12/2021 09:53

@Feelingoktoday

No sorry I don’t think shielding should be brought back. We have to take personal responsibility for our lives. Lots of very vulnerable people are at risk of peanuts but we don’t advise them to stay indoors for ever. They make an assessment of the risk and then decide.

This is so true and is a situation my family has been in for years and that we were just talk about over Christmas as my dd is hopefully going to university next year. It's like living with a bomb. And you have to be so reliant on other people. Her going to other pieole's houses for sleepovers was terrifying. You have to weigh up the risks on a daily basis.

SandlakeRd · 27/12/2021 09:55

I am CEV and have cancer that cannot be cured. I will die in the next year or so. I am careful but still see people, go to shops etc etc. I can’t contemplate my last days spent in full on shielding. What kind of (end of!) life is that.

This decision is made knowing covid may kill me sooner but it is a decision I am happy with.

I know bringing back shielding wouldn’t mean I am locked in the house but I do think things would need to be more flexible this time round if some form of shielding came back.

Meant very kindly you and your husband have an end to when he needs to be careful. There are many people like me who do not for various reasons and permanent shielding is an awful thing to contemplate.

Innocenta · 27/12/2021 09:55

@Oblomov21 I broadly agree with you that a general programme of shielding isn't required in the same way, at this stage of the pandemic.

I wish there was some way they could target individual support at the much smaller number of people who still need it. So not those like me who can shield on medical advice without needing anything 'extra' or any changes, but people whose lives just can't sustain a greater level of caution, but who do genuinely need it. I suspect that isn't actually many people.

(But then you get into the people who try to claim they're vulnerable when they aren't... I saw this on other sites quite a bit earlier in the pandemic and was just like... Hmm Why would anyone want to be vulnerable to Covid?!)

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