Now there are vaccines and treatments should the CEV list be reduced?

[beckypv]

I was wondering whether now, with all the advancements with vaccinations and treatments, whether the guidance on who is CEV should be changed. I understand there are still some people who are extremely vulnerable to it (I have a relative if caught covid post a transplant and was seriously ill). But I also know of people who were told they were CEV at the beginning and have been living in fear ever since. As things open up it is a real mental struggle for some of these people to reintegrate into society. Given all the data we must now have amassed, wouldn’t it be helpful if the NHS could issue new guidance on who is still actually CEV to covid and I’m hoping this list would be much smaller than the theoretical lists created at the start of the pandemic. Surely treatments and vaccinations has meant the number of people who are CEV now is much lower now. I ask this as a parent to a child who was classed as CEV at the start but having closely followed many studies I feel reassured that he is not in that catagory. However I also have a diabetic MIL who lives with the same fear of covid now as she did a the start even though she is jabbed etc. and I wonder if she really needs to have this fear. If she had clear facts presented to her that she is much less at risk than she was, I am sure it would do wonders for her mental health (but equally we would like to know if she was still very high risk so that we could act appropriately)

I agree but being cev myself and therefore in groups online with a lot of cev people there are so many that will never believe anything said to them and will continue to live in fear, some haven’t even left the house. It’s madness. I’m triple jabbed and just carry on as if life is normal. I had covid and perhaps I was lucky but I was barely unwell. The vaccines and treatments now mean most people will be absolutely fine. Even the cev.

As shielding was stopped I think they’ve essentially stopped considering anyone as CEV. What they’re doing now is targeting people who are considered immunosuppressed (specific conditions/medication), plus those 75+. If you don’t fall into either category AND are fully vaccinated (primary doses + booster) then you’re not considered a higher risk anymore.

Oops. Posted too soon. I think there does need to be some kind of public health campaign to explain this and reassure those who were previously CEV but no longer considered high risk because they’re fully vaccinated.

Absolutely yes.

The list doesn’t really exist any more, as such. What they knew about vulnerability to Covid 2 years ago is very different now. There is so much more knowledge and understanding and vaccines and treatments.

CEV have been quadrupled jabbed and get the antivirals if they get infected? Are they still at high risk of serious illness?

I think there does need to be some kind of public health campaign to explain this and reassure those who were previously CEV but no longer considered high risk because they’re fully vaccinated.

I agree with this very much. At the start of the pandemic I got a call from my consultant saying that I should do “everything within my power not to catch it” and saying I had a 15% chance of dying if I caught it. God knows where she got that idea from (and not criticising her, she was only doing her best).

But the fear has never really left me. I know it was incorrect, and I am doing my level best to return to normal. (Have been into the office, have been for haircuts, out shopping etc ever since summer 2020). But I would just find a public information campaign with clear facts reassuring. I know that’s not rational, but it’s how it is.

Our behaviour has been “nudged” one way, and now I guess it needs to be nudged back.

@downtonabbeyfan1234

CEV have been quadrupled jabbed and get the antivirals if they get infected? Are they still at high risk of serious illness?

I think the issue is some immunocompromised people may not mount an adequate response following vaccination. Happy to report though that I am triple jabbed and CEV due to immune-suppressing medication and had it mildly (age 32). My mum with lymphoma and triple jabbed (age 62) had an even milder case. I guess that won't be the case for everyone though but hopefully the vast majority of us CEV.

@downtonabbeyfan1234

CEV have been quadrupled jabbed and get the antivirals if they get infected? Are they still at high risk of serious illness?

Only a small subset of those who were originally identified as CEV have been quadruple jabbed. I think it’s around half a million to a million, who are/were considered severely immunocompromised. Definitely not everyone in the original shielding group, as they’ve since discovered not everyone is actually vulnerable.

@RachC2021 Also people like myself who received letters asking me to come for my 4th but got covid so couldn't and have to wait a minimum amount of time

Yes, at the begining my lymphocytes were at zero because of a treatment I had. They are now at 1.2 taking me off the list (I did my own research for this, i was never told by anyone). I'm in a couple of groups for CEV and many of them haven't been out of the home for the whole 2 years. It's scary.

I suspect the list is quite a bit larger than it should be, given the sheer number of people I know who were one CEV list, caught covid, and were basically completely fine. And living in extreme fear is going to have some really awful effects on physical and mental health.

There will always been some people who are very vulnerable to covid (and other things) though, which creates difficult dilemmas.

@downtonabbeyfan1234

CEV have been quadrupled jabbed and get the antivirals if they get infected? Are they still at high risk of serious illness?

No, the CEV weren't eligible for 4 jabs. There's a subset of the CEV who are immunosuppressed. Those are the people still at risk . They are eligible for antivirals, eligible to get their 5-11 year olds vaccinated now etc. The rest of the CEV group are protected by the 3 vaccinations.

I am CEV as I have a blood cancer diagnosis. I am on watch & wait. So I look well/well I don’t look overly ill. I have been quadruple jabbed and have been sent a PCR kit to give me access to anti virals should I test positive.

I am trying my best to get a grip and venture out a little bit more but I am still working from home, still getting shopping delivered and on the rare occasions I go into a shop I am part of a tiny minority who still wear a mask. So I am still being fairly cautious. I think my colleagues, some friends and some relations are probably a bit sick of me not having the same ‘gung ho’ attitude as them and wanting to get together as much as poss. I much prefer going out for walks with friends or seeing one or two friends or family members at a time in a large airy room rather than being up for a large gathering.

I have had a chat to my haematologist and he says I am anxious and not without good reason and I recently had an OH review at work and he also felt I should work at home for at least another couple of months (until we see how things go with the easing of restrictions). Boris calling things ‘Freedom day’ doesn’t help things and for me it makes me feel more wary and frightened (thinking he has moved to this to quickly to deflect attention from his own idiotic ignorant behaviour).

It is really difficult but I think I will get there a little bit later than everyone else with some gentle encouragement and if I am allowed to move at my own pace.

If you’ve not been sent a PCR in the post and a letter re the anti virals, and an offer to get any kids age over 5 vaccinated then I think you can consider yourself not CEV anymore. I agree OP, the people originally classed as CEV now are not and that label should only be used for the actual current CEV.

I also suspect we’ll be the few who can still access free PCRs. I’ve been told to make sure I test early if I get symptoms so they can start the anti virals ASAP. So I can’t see them denying CEV the free tests (but just the actual CEV, not everyone on the original list)