Some individuals will be more susceptible to coronavirus and will, therefore, be considered a vulnerable person during these difficult times. The NHS website has stated that vulnerable people will include individuals who have had an organ transplant, have blood or bone marrow cancer, have a condition where you have been told by a doctor that you have a severe lung condition as well as many other conditions. A full list of these can be found at the link below https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/.

I asked two individuals who are considered vulnerable by the government about their experiences during the lockdown and how they are feeling in these troubling times. The first individual who is considered vulnerable through illnesses stated that they are trying not to think about the future and COVID-19 as they are just seeing how the situation progresses within the next 6-10 weeks. This individual has stated that they believe they are lucky to be able to get deliveries from supermarkets and they, fortunately, have neighbours and family who will get the items they need. They believe that coping with isolation has been easier with their daughter around so they can do different stuff together. This can include going out of the garden in the sunny weather so that they don’t have to venture outside the house.

The second individual I interviewed was vulnerable to COVID-19 due to asthma and COPD. She states that she is very frightened about the virus and frustrated about how it had been handled. I asked her about how she felt about individuals who were not taking this lockdown seriously and were still continuing to go out for non-essential trips. She disclosed to me that she thought these individuals were incredibly selfish as if everyone stayed inside the lockdown could be over sooner and fewer lives would be lost. However, she also believes that she is incredibly lucky to be able to receive priority online shopping and have her medication delivered as she would be struggling if these were not available.  She told me that she spent her time trying to keep herself busy by doing jobs around the house and garden.

It seems like the common theme with these individuals and many more is that without priority shopping and medicines being sent to their houses, they would be struggling immensely. During this pandemic, it is essential that communities stick together and that they are providing help for people who may not be able to leave the house due to being vulnerable. Charities such as Age UK which can help ensure that older individuals are not alone during this time, Mind which can help with people who may have mental health issues during lockdown and Alzheimer’s society which ensure individuals with dementia will still have the support they had before just without the face-to-face meetings. These will all be linked below so you can donate to help vulnerable people during this time.

Alzheimer’s society:

https://secure.alzheimers.org.uk/emergency?_ga=2.29312638.330646737.1588264166-1346297109.1581455312

Mind:

https://www.mind.org.uk/donate/

Age UK:

https://donate.ageuk.org.uk/public/donate.aspx?content=coronavirus-a&maxy=a