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People with asthma need to self-isolate for 12 weeks, top doctor says
He did have some good news about kids, though…
People with asthma or anyone who usually gets the flu jab should stay at home if possible, according to one of the UK’s top doctors.
Jonathan Van-Tam is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, and he urged people in any of the ‘high risk categories’ to make sure they’re practising social distancing to protect themselves from coronavirus.
Prof Van-Tam told BBC News, when asked about asthma sufferers: “I don’t want to go into enormous detail into every single risk group but we are saying it is the people who are offered flu vaccines, other than children, who fit into that risk category, people for whom the advice is very strong about social distancing.”
Prof Van-Tam did have some good news when it comes to kids: “Now, for children, I would say we don’t have complete information – there is now beginning to be a fair bit of information and from China it is clear that children are not badly affected by the coronavirus.
“At the moment we can’t say whether that is because they are not being infected in great numbers or whether in actual fact it’s a very mild illness for children.What I can say is all the signals so far are that this illness is mild in children.”
Boris Johnson addressed the nation last night, saying people need to start working from home: “Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others, we need people to start working from home.”
The Prime Minister also said the government no longer supports mass gatherings, as everyone should stop all non-essential contact with others, including avoiding pubs, clubs and other venues, with people taking only essential travel.
Jessica Kirby, Head of Health Advice at Asthma UK, said: “Asthma doesn’t make you more likely to get coronavirus, but unfortunately if people with long-term lung conditions like asthma get coronavirus, it can be more severe.
“People with lung conditions are more likely to experience complications and need hospital treatment. Any respiratory infection can cause problems for people with asthma, and so far, evidence shows that coronavirus is no different.”
Yesterday chief medical officer Chris Whitty said that anyone over 70, people under 70 with significant health issues and pregnant women should take additional care to minimise their social contact.
The latest figures show that 55 people have died of coronavirus in the UK, with the number of cases hitting 1,543.