Coronavirus: This is who is on the list of vulnerable high risk people – Bristol Post

The chief medical officer has advised people at high risk of serious illness from the coronavirus pandemic to stay at home for 12 weeks - and issued a list of what constitutes the vulnerable groups.

The government is advising people in those high risk categories to be especially stringent in following social distancing measures, designed to make it harder to catch COVID-19, and is telling people in those groups that they should stay at home for 12 weeks.

At the daily conference on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Public Health England chief medical officer Chris Whitty confirmed that advice - but the official Dept of Health website has not yet been updated with specific information about to what extent of isolation people who dont have COVID-19, but are in the vulnerable groups category should follow.

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The fresh list of those deemed to be at high risk has been issued, with advice that further, more detailed advice would follow.

Pregnant women

For the first time pregnant women are being included in the 'at risk' group and are asked to exercise additional caution.

Including pregnant women - particularly those in the third trimester - from 28 weeks - has been done as a precautionary measure, said Mr Whitty, because: we are early in our understanding of this virus and we want to be sure, [so will include] women who are pregnant.

There is currently no clinical evidence to suggest that the virus can be transmitted through breast milk although infection can be spread to the baby in the same way as to anyone in close contact with you.

Public Health Wales says the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of the virus through breastmilk.

People aged 70 or over (regardless of medical conditions)

Mr Whitty said: "This is a quite large group of people who are over 70 (and possibly quite healthy). We know that older people are at greater risk but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will get it worse."

People under 70 with an underlying health condition

The government has now issued a full list of underlying health conditions which could contribute to a person being deemed 'high risk'. These are:

Anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds

Chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis

Chronic heart disease, such as heart failure

Chronic kidney disease

Chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis

Chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinsons disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy

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Diabetes

Problems with your spleen for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed

A weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy

Being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)

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Public Health England also says there are some clinical conditions which put people at even higher risk of severe illness from Covid-19 and that those people should "rigorously follow the social distancing advice in full". There is information on social distancing below. People falling into this group are those who may be at particular risk due to complex health problems such as:

Transplant patients

People who have received an organ transplant and remain on ongoing immunosuppression medication

people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radiotherapy

people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia who are at any stage of treatment

people with severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma (requiring hospital admissions or courses of steroid tablets)

people with severe diseases of body systems, such as severe kidney disease (dialysis)

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Coronavirus: This is who is on the list of vulnerable high risk people - Bristol Post