Covid-19: Man continuing to shield despite guidance

A man who has been shielding for the past year will continue to do so despite government advice that it is no longer necessary.

Peter Cottle from St Breward, Cornwall, is concerned about how effective his vaccination is against Covid variants.

Four million clinically vulnerable people in England have received government letters advising them to stop shielding at home from 1 April.

Coronavirus figures show hospital admissions and deaths are falling.

The latest figures for Cornwall show 18.4 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, below the national average of 54.7.

People classed as clinically vulnerable are still being advised to keep social contacts at low levels, work from home where possible and stay at a distance from other people.

This group includes people who have had organ transplants, those having chemotherapy treatment for cancer, and people with severe respiratory conditions.

Mr Cottle, 70, who has been shielding due to a lung condition, said he and his wife miss their children and grandchildren who they have not seen for more than year.

“I’m not going to change what I do. I'm still going to keep protecting myself until I'm certain that the vaccine that I’ve had is going to be effective against other variants,” he said.

Mr Cottle is concerned that France and Germany are currently experiencing a third wave of Covid-19 and said: “I don’t feel confident that the government is taking the steps to prevent it from coming here.

“It’s an obvious danger.”

Those shielding have been given priority access to vaccinations ahead of the general population.

More than 30 million people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine since the rollout began in December.

On Monday, restrictions in England were eased, allowing groups to meet outdoors.

Speaking on Monday at a Downing Street briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson it was not clear "exactly how strong" the UK's defences would be against another wave of Covid, despite the "impressive" vaccine rollout.

But he also said he could not "see anything in the data right now that would cause us to deviate from the road map" of easing further restrictions.