Millions Told No Longer Need to Shield from Coronavirus

Over 3.7 million people in England and Wales have been informed that they no longer need to shield from Coronavirus after today.

People who have been shielding have been told they can now continue to follow the same rules as all others. However, a lot of people still do not feel it is safe to return to work.

Highly clinically vulnerable people have been told they should abide by the same rules as everyone else. This includes cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and recipients of stem cell transplants.

A letter was sent to the group stating shielding has been halted due to the decrease in virus infection rates. Extremely vulnerable people are still encouraged to minimise their social contact and remain a safe distance away from others.

Anxiety Over Returning to Work

It has been recommended that people who were on the shielding list should ideally work from home if possible. Bus driver, Matt Hemming, is concerned about returning to the job too soon. He is on the shielding list due to having had a kidney transplant.

Mr Hemming said he couldn’t understand why the shielding had to stop so abruptly. He thought it would be better if there was more of a transition. This way the process could be drawn out slowly with precautions in place.

He added that his consultant had advised him not to return to work until at least three weeks after having his second dose of vaccine. As yet, he still does not have a date for his second jab.

According to research from the charity Scope, 75% of disabled people plan to continue with shielding until after they had had their second vaccination. This is despite being told that they no longer need to shield from Coronavirus.

The head of policy and campaigns at Scope, Louise Rubin, predicts a lot of people would be feeling anxious. They are being forced into choosing between their financial security and their health.

Other charities have suggested that employers must make adjustments to aid the clinically vulnerable when their shielding period finishes.

Sara Bainbridge, Macmillan Cancer Support policy officer, believes that things do not need to change immediately. She thinks employers should take into account that this is a difficult situation for people. Many of them may have been away from the workplace for a prolonged amount of time. She suggests that there are options and changes that could be made safely.

Moving Forward

From 5 January, it was requested that people on the shielded patient list stay at home as much as possible. A further 1.7 million people in England were added to this list in February. Over 90% of these people have now had their first vaccination dose against COVID-19.

Until 21 June, those who were shielding are eligible to gain access to priority delivery slots from supermarkets. This is provided they have already registered with an account on the supermarket website.

A list of people in the shielding group should also be maintained by GPs. This is in case clinically vulnerable people need to be identified again in the future. It may be necessary to resume shielding if circumstances change.

Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, recognises that shielding has had an impact on people’s wellbeing. She thinks that now is the right time for people to begin thinking about easing the more rigid guidelines.

Dr Harries ensures that all evidence will be continued to be monitored. Should there be any changes in infection rates, advice will be adjusted accordingly.

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