Don’t know if people have seen the stuff about the new shielding list? It’s based on QCovid, a sort of risk assessment based on different factors, and the outcomes they saw for people earlier in the year. We’ve consistently been told that people with ms aren’t at much higher risk than the general population, but in this model, where different factors are ranked in order of weighting MS is about number 15 out of about 60 factors! It’s above heart failure and cystic fibrosis. Don’t quite know what to think about this! Hopefully it’ll mean we will all get offered the vaccine soon, as someone who has worked outside the home all the way through I’d certainly welcome it!
onwards and upwards, I can’t to save my life find the list of factors on the pages you’ve linked to - please could you help point me in the right direction?
Cheers!
Alison
OK, found it now, thanks. 
Well, that is super interesting, I must say, and thank you for the link. It seems to me likely that there will be a whole lot of folks with multiple risk factors who will score higher than someone who has uncomplicated MS with few if any of the others. But I must say that I am astonished that MS is deemed a bigger independent risk factor than, for instance, coronary artery disease or pulmonary hypertension - or even COPD, for goodness sake! Bit of a shocker, that. Glad my vaccine’s booked for next week!
Alison
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Not clear from the reference if MS is added as its own definition or if it is lumped in with the other neurological conditions. BMI is highly significant, so young thin pwMS may escape the highly at risk category.
Interestingly I would have expected being male to be a risk factor, but it is difficult to say that in medical newspeak.
It will be interesting to see in next few days how many additional pwMS are given the at high risk letter previously labelled shielding. I am told that the food parcels (not sure if these have now been stopped) were something to be missed.
This will be interesting to look at, but as I hope they do not attempt to relegate anyone with MS out of group 6 (they appear to be splitting people with asthma into two types) I think it will have minimal impact on our vaccinations.
Hi,
yes I was wondering whether this included all of us who were considered as just vulnerable and not extremely vulnerable like my husband.
Then whilst trying to find out I got a txt from my GP surgery to book a vaccine! I’m booked in first thing tomorrow, YEAH!!
My husband got his last week.
Good luck everyone Kimxx
My husband and I had Covid in December. My husband had a shielding letter I did not. My husband has COPD although he was very breathless with Covid he was well enough to remain at home. I was admitted to hospital after collapsing at home and I needed oxygen and steroids so it must be really difficult to establish who is at most risk.
Sue
Cheers folks, it doesn’t seem to differentiate between different sorts or severity of MS symptoms, I’ve just seen that I can book in too, but I suspect I’m having a relapse with this 6th nerve palsy double vision and the ms society advise people that they shouldn’t have the vaccine whilst they’re having a relapse… Sod’s law!!
Can I ask how people are seeing that they can now book their vaccinations? Or is it via text/ phone call?
Are people using the NHS app? (I downloaded and installed the app, and it only states that those who are clinically vulnerable (with shielding letter) are able to have/ book the vaccine at present.)
If you go on the NHS book a vaccine website and put your details in it tells you if you can book and wont let you if you are not eligble at the time.It gives you lots of choices where to book and you can book the 2 injections at same time.My husband booked his this way even though he had not get the letter from his GP.He went and had it no problem and then the letter arrived this morning telling him he could book one lol.
It seems to vary depending on area, there’s a website called swiftqueue which you can book on in some areas, there’s also the nhs website. It may be worth seeing if your local clinical commissioning group (CCG) has a Facebook page or website, as the latest information may well be on there
Hi anon, I had my vaccination this morning. I am only clinically vulnerable at the moment, haven’t received a letter yet but our post has been really bad lately. We live in Essex ( tier 4).
I received a text from my surgery to book. I presume it’s all down to wear you live! If I were you I’d ring up surgery.
Best of luck, my second one is in 12 weeks .
Kimxx
I just went on the website, entered my details and got the message “not eligible to book at this time”. I guess my MS isn’t as “clinically vulnerable” as everybody else’s.
It is bizarre though that throughout this pandemic, my wife who is a nurse and works on a covid ward, has tested positive for covid twice now and has brought it back into our house on each occasion. She was really poorly first time round and her recent bout 4 weeks ago she had mild symptoms, luckily. There isn’t really any protection for me though and there isn’t anywhere for me to go to get protection from the disease apart for me to live in my garden shed.
As a 39 year old male wth MS in this situation, do you think I will have to wait until the rest of the population of 40 year olds to get a “jab in the arm” as Boris puts it?
I think you should tell your GP what you’ve just told us. GOod luck.
Alison
If you have been diagnosed by a Specialist Neurologist, this should have been communicated to your GP. They are probably in the best position to arrange an appointment. I suspect the national system is just going on your age. The vaccination campaign is advancing at slightly different rates in different parts of the UK. MSers who have not been done because of their age or as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable should now soon be up for the jab. The latest new scoring system may alter your place in the queue, but you should still be up for before the 60 -65 group in your area. If you think you’ve been forgotten, contact your GP.
It does seem to be working, but it is annoying when some people appear to be jumping the queue and other people appear to have overlooked.
I Got emailed from NHS today (only 11 months late) to say I need to shield till the end of March, I thought it was because of my type 2 diabetes and other risk factors.
I stopped self shielding at the end of June, and only started again after Christmas because the numbers were getting scary! I’ve only been out for health appointments and a couple of supermarket runs since November, but I’m chomping at the bit to start getting out again now I’ve had a vaccine(2 weeks ago) I would like to re-introduce supermarket runs and want to furniture shop as soon as the shops reopen, but now I’m confused whether to wait until the end of March!
incidentally my OH got the same email, but doesn’t have as many risk factors as I do, and certainly doesn’t have MS.
Well I live in Wales, and my dad who is late seventies only had his jab a week ago, my mum also late seventies (and with a pace maker, cancer history and really overweight and several other conditions) 3 weeks ago. Yet, someone I know socially who is 60 but doesn’t work in healthcare got the jab a month ago - so god only knows what is going on.
What i cant understand is i am not yet able to have it and my husband who’s my carer has had it??
My Husband is 61 & has advanced PPMS (between 8-9 on the EDSS). He has been assessed twice for swallowing, as he is prone to choking sometimes. Last time he was hospitalised with an infection, they put a DNR in place. When he is poorly, he loses his speech, and cough//swallowing abilities, and has had chest infections. We are still waiting for an invite for vaccination. His GP surgery has been amalgamated into two other practices, none of the staff there have ever seen my Husband, yet tell me he is in group 6 for the vaccine. They have now started on this group, but have warned it is a large group so it may be several weeks before he hears anything.