Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (January 2021)

There are 2.2 million people in England classified as being at high-risk, including those who have received organ transplants or are on immunosuppressant drugs. On checking the NHS website this is the current list of conditions, which fall into this category they are:

• those who have had an organ transplant
• are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer, including immunotherapy
• are having an intense course of radiotherapy (radical radiotherapy) for lung cancer
• are having targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system (such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors)
• have blood or bone marrow cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
• have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the past 6 months, or are still taking immunosuppressant medicine
• have been told by a doctor you have a severe lung condition (such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma or severe COPD)
• have a condition that means you have a very high risk of getting infections (such as SCID or sickle cell)
• those who are taking medicine that makes them much more likely to get infections (such as high doses of steroids or immunosuppressant medicine)
• have a serious heart condition and are pregnant
• those who have a problem with their spleen or those who have had their spleen removed (splenectomy)
• an adult with Down’s syndrome
• any adult who is having dialysis or has severe (stage 5) long-term kidney disease; or
• who have been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs.