People at higher risk from COVID-19

The list of people in very high risk groups include people who:

• have Down syndrome
• have cancer and are being treated with (or within 6 weeks of) chemotherapy or targeted therapy, monoclonal antibodies or immunotherapies
• have lung or head and neck cancer and are having (or within 6 weeks of) radical surgery or radiotherapy
• are having certain complex cancer surgery, for example, surgery for lung cancer, head and neck cancer or oesophageal cancer
• getting treatment or pending treatment for a cancer of blood or bone marrow
• have advanced cancer or cancer that has spread to another part of the body
• are on dialysis or have end-stage kidney disease and an eGFR less than 15
• have a condition affecting the brains or nerves that has significantly affected your ability to breathe, meaning you require non-invasive ventilation (such as motor neurone disease or spinal muscular atrophy)
• have unstable or severe cystic fibrosis, including people waiting for a transplant
• have severe respiratory conditions including Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, pulmonary fibrosis, lung fibrosis, interstitial lung disease and severe COPD
• have uncontrolled diabetes
• have had an organ transplant or are waiting for a transplant
• have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the last 12 months, or are waiting for a transplant
• have a rare genetic condition that means you have a very high risk of getting infections (such as APECED or errors in the interferon pathway)
• sickle cell disease
• have been treated with drugs such as Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Alemtuzumab, Cladribine or Ocrelizumab in the last 6 months
• have certain inherited metabolic disorders (such as Maple Syrup Urine Disease)
• have obesity with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40

The list of people in high risk groups includes people who:

• have a learning disability other than Down syndrome
• are being treated for cancer but are not very high risk
• have been treated in the past 5 years for a cancer of the blood or bone marrow (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
• have been treated in the past 1 year with immunomodulating treatment for a cancer that did not start in the blood or bone marrow
• have chronic heart disease (such as heart failure)
• have chronic kidney disease with an eGFR below 30ml a minute
• have chronic liver disease (such as cirrhosis or fibrosis)
• have a condition affecting the brain or nerves (such as Parkinson's disease or cerebral palsy) that affects their breathing or ability to protect or clear their airway
• have clinically stable cystic fibrosis
• have a serious lung condition but are not at very high risk, for example, severe asthma, moderate COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis
• have diabetes
• are taking medicine that makes your immune system weak (such as high doses of steroids)
• have a condition that means you have a high risk of getting infections (such as lupus, scleroderma, or HIV when not on treatment or CD4 count <200)
• have an inherited metabolic disorder but are not very high risk
• have obesity with a body mass index (BMI) between 35 and 40
• have a severe mental illness (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression)