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A recent letter in Metro highlights the difficulties facing cancer patients with the government guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19. The letter describes a stage four kidney cancer patient who is on treatment that renders him vulnerable to coronavirus infection. His family think he should be on the ‘shielded patient list’ because he is taking a targeted therapy that can affect the immune system.
However, this man still hasn’t received an official letter from the government asking him to self-isolate. The government say that this is the responsibility of the GP surgeries; however, according to their GP, they are waiting for the government. Over six weeks after lockdown began, thousands of vulnerable people have still not received letters from the government telling them to self-isolate for 12 weeks. This is further fuelling uncertainty for those who believe their lives are at risk, while failing to protect others who may not know they need to be shielded.