Protecting those who are vulnerable to severe illness due to COVID-19

This guidance is for everyone in the Bailiwick who is classed as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV). For a definition of CEV, please see the description below.

We know that a number of people in our community will have been shielding for a long time to protect themselves from COVID-19.

We also understand that stopping shielding can be a worrying time.

If you are considering going to public indoor places where you are unsure how well ventilated they may be, and/or you may be in a crowd of people, you should consider the following:

• Maintain a 2 metre social distance where possible.
• Practice good hand hygiene.
• Practice good respiratory etiquette.
• Consider wearing a face covering.

Definition of Clinically Extremely Vulnerable

People who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

People with the following conditions are automatically deemed clinically extremely vulnerable:

• solid organ transplant recipients
• people 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
• people with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• people with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell disease)
• people on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection
• problems with your spleen, for example splenectomy (having your spleen removed)
• 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.