South Yorkshire asthma sufferers "forgotten" in Covid jab priority
Only those with severe cases of the condition are being prioritised
South Yorkshire asthma sufferers tell us they feel "forgotten" in the priority groups for the Covid-19 vaccine.
The condition doesn't automatically count as an underlying health problem covered by the sixth group in line for the jab, who are getting invites at the moment.
It means those with mild forms of asthma will have to wait until their age group is called up before getting the vaccine.
Tess is from Sheffield - she has severe asthma and yet was still told she won't get the jab yet:
"I just cried. I was so disappointed. It felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel and I could go back to having a normal life.
"But now I feel like, whilst everyone else will be getting back to a normal life, I'll be getting left behind, along with a lot of other asthmatics who are going to have to carry on as good as shielding until they get that vaccine.
"I think I can speak on behalf of all asthmatics when I say we all feel very forgotten about."
More than 24,000 people haved signed a petition calling for priority for asthma sufferers in the next wave of the vaccine rollout.
And campaigners have been sharing their frustration on social media using #AsthmaticsAtRisk, with many pointing out they're considered vulnerable enough to get a flu jab every winter yet haven't been offered a Covid jab yet.
Tess says it's frustrating:
"It makes no sense that we've been given the flu jab every year and we've been told since the beginning of this pandemic we are vulnerable and we need to as good as shield if we're not in category 4 already. So it seem ridiculous now that they're not linking one with the other.
"Especially now that it's coming to the stage that I actually know a few of my friends of a similar age - so I'm 31 - have all had their vaccines and been invited with no underlying health conditions just for no real reason. So to see people who are fit and healthier than me get the jab before me it feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth."
The charity Asthma UK is urging the govenment to prioritise those with the condition in the next wave of the rollout.
In a petition it says:
"All four governments are prioritising those most at risk of death from COVID in the vaccine roll-out.
"BUT there is some early evidence which shows people with asthma could be at risk of hospitalisation or long-term side effects of COVID.
"That’s why we are calling on the UK Government and government’s in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take the needs of everyone with asthma seriously and prioritise everyone with asthma for the next wave of the vaccine roll-out."
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said:
“Our priority is to save lives and protect the most vulnerable, and based on clinical risk the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that adults with severe asthma should be vaccinated in priority group 6.
“This includes anyone who has ever had an emergency asthma admission to hospital and those who require regular steroids. Mild asthma, including that which can be treated by an inhaler alone has not been found to carry a higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19.”