‘We were told the vaccine was the way out’

A Harrogate man has spoken of his despair at being one of 1.7 million people told to shield again for another five weeks.

Scott Lambert, 35, has a rare autoimmune disease called behçets syndrome and is classed as clinically extremely vulnerable.

He received an email from the government yesterday advising him to extend shielding from February 21 to March 31.

Mr Lambert told the Stray Ferret he was vaccinated three weeks ago at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground and, after spending much of last year shielding and all of this year, thought the end was in sight.

So to receive the news out of the blue yesterday was “beyond unfair”, he said, adding:

“We were told the vaccine was the way out of this. Yet a week before the review date we have been told it’s a further five weeks minimum.

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He said shielders were “the forgotten people in the pandemic” and he wanted to highlight their situation. He added:

“We have been locked away far more than many people over the coronavirus pandemic. It’s taking a huge strain on each and every one of us.

“Being a shielder isn’t lockdown. It’s next level lockdown. You’re constantly thinking of how transmission could occur and make you seriously ill. Yet an email is all the government felt was enough to put us through this for a further five weeks.

“We thought the vaccine was the way out. The government achieved the target of vaccinating all of the clinically extremely vulnerable and we thought we would be able to rejoin society in the new normal.”

Mr Lambert, who lives in Jennyfields, said the showground vaccination programme was well run. He added a Facebook group called Shielders Support had been extremely helpful to local shielders. But yesterday’s news came as a “shock to all”.

The email urged him to “stay at home as much as possible”, adding:

“Whilst the national lockdown has been effective and cases of covid are now falling, the levels of infection in the community remain high and the virus continues to pose a high risk to people across the country.

“The risk remains particularly high for those considered clinically extremely vulnerable. Therefore, the government strongly advises you to continue to follow the shielding measures that were introduced in January to help you protect yourself.”

Call for volunteers as Pateley Bridge rallies for new lockdown

An appeal has been launched to find more volunteers as Pateley Bridge looks to support its most vulnerable residents through lockdown.

In the first lockdown, the Spar on the High Street became the centre for community support, delivering food and other essentials to people who were shielding or could not get out.

Tilly Chandler, whose family owns and runs the shop and Yorkshire Born and Bread bakery, said it was still making 30 free home deliveries a week to people in isolation in Pateley Bridge and neighbouring villages.

Pateley Bridge in lockdown.

However, extra volunteers will be needed if demand increases as more people in Upper Nidderdale self-isolate or shield. Ms Chandler told the Stray Ferret:

“At one stage we were handing up to 90 deliveries a day, with support from 60 volunteers. If there is a sudden surge in demand, we will need more volunteers to come forward. Anybody wanting to lend a hand can call the Spar shop number.”

In addition to the 30 weekly home deliveries that are ongoing, there is a click and collect service for people able to come to the store. Ms Chandler added:

“Some people who have been stuck at home have found it good for their physical and mental health to get out in the fresh air and use the visit into town as part of their exercise.”

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Online support group steps up for shielders in Harrogate district

The organisers of an online support group for shielders across the Harrogate district say they hope more will join them following the announcement of a new lockdown.

Susie Little, who founded the Covid Co-operation Harrogate Facebook group last March, said the announcement that very vulnerable people must begin shielding again has left many feeling anxious.

She is hopeful that the smaller group, Shielders’ Support, will provide both reassurance and comfort to people who face another period of weeks at home. She said:

“The first time, it was all so new and novel, there was a sense of panic. The whole shielding thing had never been a thing before. It got attention because you suddenly realised how many people in amongst us live with these conditions and literally couldn’t leave the house.

“These words are now every-day parlance – R rate, shielding and positive rate are all so run-of-the-mill, there’s a sense that people are going to get forgotten. Everybody is so bored with it now.”

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While practical support – such as shopping and collecting prescriptions – was important during the first lockdown and will be again now, that has mostly been organised through the main Covid Co-operation group, by Susie and other volunteers.

By contrast, the shielding group is a place for members to express their feelings and frustrations, getting support and empathy from fellow shielders.

“People need to be able to post and say, ‘I’m struggling’. I’ve seen the activity in that group ramp up in the last 24 hours – they aren’t quite sure what to do, whether to re-register [as shielding] and so on.”

Although the group was set up in the Harrogate district, it includes people from around the country – though it remains relatively small, with just 130 members, after being set up in May as the first lockdown was coming to an end. Susie hopes more shielding people will get to know about it this time and turn to it for the emotional support they need to get through the coming difficult weeks.

To join the group, search for Shielders Support on Facebook.