Covid19 - Shielding and self-isolating for vulnerable people - policies and issues

Tesco for me, it’s the only shop I have.

 

While it sounds as if Liverpool CCG has done a good job, speaking as somebody living in Liverpool, it's bloody useless. We rang our GP to ask if I could be put on the vulnerable list as
1. I was over 70
2. OH is approaching 75
3. I have high rates for PIP of both Mobility and Care and I'm unable to leave the house on my own.

Told we'd have to get help from the council. They put the local group in touch so now we get a phone call from them once a week. They all seem to be very nice, but I'd rather they didn't bother.

Eventually OH managed to get on the Tesco vulnerable list. He's got a Tesco card, so I guess they could access his age from that? Plus they'll see he's been shopping with them since the year dot! I'll have to ask him if he's having more problems getting slots now. We had a delivery last Friday, I think we have one on Thursday this week, but no idea if he's got anything else booked.

As to Waitrose I'll never bloody touch the barstewards again. They just told me 3 times, in 3 emails spread over about 3 weeks, that they couldn't validate my age so they wouldn't take me on. It was the telling me 3 times that really got my goat.

 

If they really cared about their vulnerable customers there is a simple way they could do this via their website (if they paid for the additional service). I recently bought a set of knives and the company directed me to this site (after checkout with a bespoke link for me to complete):

https://www.agechecked.com/

It gave various options to verify my age. Weirdly trying both my driving license and my debit card didn't work, but they were able to do it from the electoral register (I'm not on the public version).

 

Just tell them not to. That’s the same weekly call I was getting, with no caller ID who would ring multiple times until I answered it leaving me no choice.

I politely told them to leave me alone and they did thank God, otherwise I would have been changing my number.

 

Did they give a reason why you couldn’t be prioritised?

If Tesco hadn’t accepted me I wouldn’t have had any priority slots anywhere.

 

Tescos was the last, by several weeks, to put me on their priority list.

I have only had, I think, 2 deliveries from them, the last of which was last Friday, so based on that it would seem that they are likely to have put me on their list 5 weeks ago - so mid May?

Two months after lockdown started, or thereabouts.

I did not interact with them at all, it was solely on the basis of being on the government list.

 

Just got a message from my (US) health insurance plan, an HMO, which asked me to make an appointment to COME IN in person for a lengthy wellness exam, which in my case is pretty much unnecessary and is not required. Suddenly it's business ($) as usual. The business of health care in this foolish country.

The message was sent to all medicare (over age 65) folks with the plan. The letter made me mad. I am high risk becaue of age, and our positive covid-19 cases are climbing, and here a huge medical organization is pushing me into coming in for a long (an hour) in-person visit. Oh, they do temperature checks on their employees who also wear masks. Big f-ing deal. Asymptomatic cases are not going to be caught out by a temperature check. Masks don't protect well when you are four feet away and talking. And the issue of aerosol spread has not been fully elucidated.

I am going to have at least words with the author of the letter and their superior. I know my risk/benefit ratio of doing preventive care vs getting the virus. My preventive care can wait. But other seniors who are not as medically savy will just feel coerced.

The letter urged them to make the apointment now so they don't have to come in during the flu season (veiled threat). This wellness appointment is heavily reimbursed by the US government to the insurance company, so that is one reason why they are pushing it.

The nerve and the incompetence and the greed.

 

The 'shielding' is ending at the end of July (the government says it is being 'paused' but also they will provide new clinical guidelines so that less people have to shield if the programme is reinstated):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/22/coronavirus-shielding-scheme-eased-england-from-6-july

 

I think I'll wait and see, inside.

 

Same.

“On average, less than one in 1,700 people are estimated to have the virus, down from one in 500 four weeks ago, said the DHSC.”

That’s not really that great is it? Pretty sure New Zealand were in full lockdown mode even when they had less than 1 in 1700 infected.

 

Hang on, 1 in 1700 means there’s around 38,000 people with the virus right now (taking into account the 66 mil population of U.K.) according to the Guardian article? That’s a lot of people with coronavirus.

 

How many people are there in the average Tescos at any one time? How many pass through the store in one hour? It's impossible to socially distance in these sort of places and with the general public becoming more and more lax with this, things are going to get worse for previously 'shielded' people who are going to be forced back to work, shopping in store etc.

Today I had someone call from the organisation the Local Authority has commissioned to check that the shielded people in this area are getting all the support they need. She did stay about 2 metres away, but wasn't wearing a face covering (contrast that to the boiler repair man who called today and was wearing an N95 mask). What was really disconcerting was that she was coughing violently all the way back up my drive to her car!

 

I have been able to get fortnightly timed slots from tesco last few weeks as the priority ones could clash with me eating brek or supper after carer had been or while she was sorting my meal so a timed one is easier for me to manage. I got on priority list by phoning them Up. have to remember to keep checking so can order the next one.

 

Has anyone had an eye test recently? Spec savers now do home visits but the Outside Clinic dont (edited, they are open now too). I need to have my eyes tested - Worried if I leave it, coronavirus will get worse in winter & then I won’t be able to until next spring/summer which is too late.

If you’ve had your eyes tested recently, what masks do they wear? N99 or surgical masks? They come up so close to you when doing eye tests & to shine the light in your eyes and examine, touch your eyes etc.

Also, what about nurses who come to take bloods?

 

To paraphrase Firefly: "I'll be in my bunker".

 

Here in Scotland, my grandson was sick, not coronavirus. His mother spoke to the GP who then requested blood tests from the usual central computer system. She phoned the designated blood collection hub and we were given an appointment. My husband took him there and the nurse was in full protective gear. She checked what the doctor had requested and took blood.

GP phoned a few days later with results and we have been told to make another appointment there for repeat bloods to be taken at the start of July.

It was a very straightforward, safe procedure. He is in a vulnerable group.

edit just realised you are talking about nurses coming to your home, sorry. I would think they would be in protective gear, the NHS is taking it very seriously and the nurse won't want to get anything from you either

 

Back in 2003 during the SARS outbreak in Canada, a technician came to my home in full protective gear.

 

GPs will be asked to rewrite Covid-19 shielding list using new risk score
22 June 2020 By Sofia Lind

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/clinica...ng-list-using-new-risk-score/20041048.article

Since the most vulnerable people have been shielding (including those not on the official list) how can they possibly know their predicted risk as surely the current statistics exclude a lot of these people?