Clinically Vulnerable Families ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’— Profile picture
Aug 25, 2021 โ€ข 9 tweets โ€ข 4 min read โ€ข Read on X
๐ŸงตA letter, signed by Prof Jennifer Harries OBE, has informed parents of Clinically Extremely Vulnerable children that they are not CEV anymore.

Even being identified as needing a vaccine isn't a reason to shield.

NB/ Many (12-15) have still not received a first dose yet. 1/
Seeking to reassure parents
"Recent clinical studies have shown that children & young people are at very low risk of serious illness if they catch the virus. We are pleased to let you know that your child is therefore no longer considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable" 2/
...before the big blow...

"It is important that your child continues to attend their school or other educational settings."

* With a caveat that actually maybe your child is still CEV and "will still have to isolate or reduce their social contact".

3/
Next they remind parents about vaccines, which too many approved 12-15yos still can't access, but state that

"being eligible for vaccination does not mean that the child is considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable."

4/
Parents "will be pleased to know" that their child is no longer CEV.

Their mental health is a priority. Returning them to schools without any mitigations and high prevelance of an airborne infection is, it would appear, the antidote.

5/
Mental health has regularly been a focus for the DfE:

For children missing school for a couple of weeks in termtime (when school holidays have never caused such issues).

For Vulnerable parents whose fears for life were dismissed as 'anxiety' to keep their children in school.
6/
Once again, mental health is the reason.

Prioritising an unassessed, presumed, mental health condition above a proven physical health condition * all of whom have been flagged by medical professionals as high risk, a concern.

We have safe remote learning alternatives.

7/
Having children attending school during Covid with a threat to life in the household is like living with a gun to your head. Playing Russian Roulette each day.

That is the known threat to mental health.

Why would parents choose to put their child in the firing line?

8/
We have remote learning. If there is *any perceived threat to live* we have an obligation to protect it. Education never previously came with such a threat.

We can have #educationANDlives.

#RemoteEd must be offered to all Clinically Vulnerable Families until school is safe.
END

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More from @cv_cev

Sep 15
๐Ÿ“ข Children and Young People Voices report about their pandemic experiences has been released today.

We would be interested in hearing your views. There is a chapter on Clinically Vulnerable families.

We have included screenshots below...

1/
They have recognised that children in CV families took on new caring responsibilities. Many have never been recognised or supported as "Young Carers".

2/ Weight of responsibility: Some children and young people took on responsibilities at  home during the pandemic. As well as carrying the load of practical tasks that needed to be done, such as looking after someone who was ill, taking care of siblings, or sanitising shopping for someone who was clinically vulnerable, some also felt the emotional weight of supporting their family through this time, particularly where people outside of the household could not come and help. Some were also affected by an awareness of the difficulties the adults were going through, including worsening mental hea...
Exposed to adult stress  Riley, aged 22, was living at home during the pandemic with their parents. This was a difficult time for the family because their mum was clinically vulnerable and their sibling, who had moved out, was struggling with an addiction. Living at such close quarters during lockdown - "like you're in a pressure cooker" - exposed them to the stress that their parents were going through and they described starting to share in this rather than feeling like a child any more. "Everyone felt very nervous. So then having that kind of like group worrying... I feel ...
There appears to be confusion in the report between disability (which is a mental or physical impairment) and clinical vulnerability (which are risk factors including health conditions, which puts someone at higher risk of poor outcomes and required shielding etc.).

3/ Heightened fear: Physically disabled children and young people and those with health  conditions, or in clinically vulnerable families, described their feelings of uncertainty, fear and anxiety about the risk of catching Covid-19 and the serious - and in some cases life threatening - implications this could have for them or their loved ones. Children and young people in secure settings also felt vulnerable and afraid of catching Covid-19 when sharing common spaces with other people during the pandemic. Experiencing bereavement during the pandemic could also lead to feelings of heightened fear.
Forgotten by others as a young shielder  Casey, aged 15, has a sibling who is clinically vulnerable. Casey described how she helped to protect her sibling during the pandemic, how hard it was to keep shielding when society opened up after the first lockdown and how she felt that her needs had been completely forgotten by those around her. She felt that people didn't seem to  15  2. Factors that shaped the pandemic  understand that young people were shielding too. "When we came out of [lockdown] but then we were still expected to shield... while everybody else was out and doing stuff, t...
Read 14 tweets
Jun 11
The final preliminary hearing for the Children & Young Peopleโ€™s module was today, CVF, again, made the case for safety.

Children's deaths *would* have been higher if many Clinically Vulnerable families had not kept their children away from schools.

โš ๏ธLong thread
1/
๐Ÿ’” 88 children died (2020 - October 2022)

In the first year of the pandemic:

๐Ÿฅ6,338 paediatric Covid admissions
โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉน259 needed intensive care

2/
Schools were 'closed' due to the balance of risks:

โš–๏ธRisk of to children when not in school
โš–๏ธRisk of to everyone from Covid-19 transmission

3/
Read 26 tweets
Mar 17
Today @BBCMoreOrLess discussed pandemic impacts on Children & Young People:

"It turned out that they would be spared from the worst impacts of the disease."

The specific impacts on CV children, those in CV families or struggling with Long Covid were barely considered.

1/๐Ÿงต
Dr Munroe dismissed risks to children:

"Covid itself had a relatively small clinical impact on young people."

In reality, CEV children were told to shield due to their risks. Over 200 children have died, and with a different response those deaths may have been preventable.
2/
This was the only section in which @TimHarford did point to the direct harms:

"For a few young people, Covid WAS a very serious disease. Long Covid has also been a problem for some. And young people did die."

Unfortunately, it was immediately followed up with...

3/
Read 21 tweets
Feb 25
This 3yr anniversary that won't be in the news!

When the UK government rolled out the "Living with Covid" policy it simply scrapped protections and shifted to personal responsibility. For most, it meant "back to normal." For Clinically Vulnerable people, life became harder.
1/๐Ÿงต Image
The plan was based on a single assumption: that vaccines alone would be enough... vaccines due to be withdrawn this Autumn.

But for millions who are Clinically Vulnerable, vaccines werenโ€™t a magic bullet. Protection wasnโ€™t universal and some were left with little to none.

2/
๐Ÿ˜€Mask mandates ended
๐Ÿ“ฅFree tests were phased out
๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆSelf-isolation was no longer required

Covid was treated as a personal problem, not a public health issue. If you got sick, you were on your own.

3/
Read 11 tweets
Feb 18
๐Ÿ˜…CVF are relieved to announce that we will be representing you in the final section of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry looking at the ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜†.

It will consider the effects on keyworkers, vulnerable populations, bereaved, & mental health.

1/12 *Stick with this*
Protective measures were often described as "restrictions" and the lifting of measures described as the return of "freedom".

2/
๐Ÿš— Seatbelts were once seen as a "restriction" by some, but today with evidence & awareness, they are now considered essential for safety.

๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ˜ท The Covid pandemic was a missed opportunity to normalise airborne protections that protect health and save lives.

3/
Read 12 tweets
Jan 31
๐ŸšจClinically Vulnerable Families ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’—

Our oral closing statement highlights 5 key concerns - however, further details will be explored in depth in our later written submissions.

1: Therapeutics programme - wasn't good enough!

1/
The immunosuppressed were left behind.

2/
What could we have done better?

Dame Kate Bingham is an independent and trusted voice. She has no reasons to defend decisions on therapeutics that weren't the right ones.

3/
Read 26 tweets

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