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Clinically extremely vulnerable people
Update for those who are identified as clinically extremely vulnerable people.
If you live in the city of Leicester, please refer to the guidance on Leicester City Council's website
People who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable are at very high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. There are two ways you may be identified as clinically extremely vulnerable:
- You have one or more of the conditions listed below, or
- Your hospital clinician or GP has added you to the Shielded patients list because, based on their clinical judgement, they deem you to be at higher risk of serious illness if you catch the virus.
If you do not fall into either of these categories and have not been informed that you are on the clinically extremely vulnerable patients list, follow the new national restrictions.
If you think there are good clinical reasons why you should be added to the Shielded Patient List, discuss your concerns with your GP or hospital clinician.
Adults with the following conditions are automatically deemed clinically extremely vulnerable:
- solid organ transplant recipients
- those with specific cancers
- people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
- people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
- people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
- people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
- people having other targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
- people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
- those with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- those with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell disease)
- those on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection
- adults with Down’s syndrome
- adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease (stage 5)
- women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired
- other people who have also been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs. GPs and hospital clinicians have been provided with guidance to support these decisions
If you’ve been identified as a clinically extremely vulnerable person, the government is writing directly to you to provide further guidance on how to stay safe. A copy of the letters can be found below:
Government's letter to clinically extremely vulnerable adults Opens new window
Government's letter to clinically extremely vulnerable children Opens new window
For further information refer to the government's website for further information about what you need to do if you're clinically extemely vulnerable and at higher risk of getting coronavirus.
Support available
If you're clinically extremely vulnerable and you need support from us, we're here to help.
Phone our coronavirus support line on 0116 3052499 – please choose option 1 when you call.