Please see below for the latest information and guidance for those who are clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

Updated 17 February 2021.

Shielding extended to 31 March

NEW Shielding guidance has been extended until 31 March. Those on the Shielded Patient List will receive a letter to inform them of the extension.

New group of people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable

Click here to read the full government announcement.

A new group of people will be sent a letter asking them to shield. This group have recently been identified as high risk (clinically extremely vulnerable) of severe illness from coronavirus and have been added to the Shielded Patient List (SPL) in England.

NHS and Government have identified this group as clinically extremely vulnerable because of a combination of their individual characteristics and underlying health conditions, using the COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment.

This assessment combines a number of factors such as age, sex registered at birth, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) and specific health conditions and treatments to estimate the risk of a person catching coronavirus and becoming seriously unwell.

• Read more about the COVID-19 Population Risk Assesement here. 
• Read more about who is defined as clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 here.

If you receive a letter to say you are part of this new group of shielded patients, please follow the advice below.

Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19

This guidance is for everyone in England who has been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable. If you are in this group, you will previously have received a letter from the NHS or from your GP telling you this. You may have been advised to shield in the past.

This shielding guidance applies to clinically extremely vulnerable individuals only. Others living in a household with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable are not advised to follow this guidance. They should instead follow the general advice and regulations set out in the national lockdown guidance that came into effect on 5 January 2021.

The clinically extremely vulnerable will get priority access to vaccination against COVID-19 before the general population and in line with the priority ordering set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). You will be contacted again by the NHS with more information on when and how you will be invited to get the vaccine.

Even if you have had both doses of the vaccine, you should continue to follow this shielding advice, until further notice as we continue to assess the impact of vaccination among all groups. The people you live with should continue to follow the public health rules and guidance as long as they are in place, including if you have received the vaccine and also if they have received the vaccine.

Detailed information:

• Socialising
• Work
• Education settings
• Travel
• Shopping
• Medicines
• Accessing care and support
• Registering for additional support
• Definition of clinically extremely vulnerable groups

 

For anyone struggling with support needs, and are unable to get help from family, friends or a local support group due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the council has set up a Community Response Hub as part of Northumberland Communities Together

Please email northumberlandcommunitiestogether@northumberland.gov.uk, or call 01670 620015 between 9am to 6pm, seven days a week.

Find out more information about Northumberland Communities Together here.
 

Onecall

If you are worried about the immediate welfare of a child or adult please use OneCall 01670 536400 - open 24/7, 365 days a year