Those particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 were told to shield (file photo) Picture: PA THOUSANDS of vulnerable patients in Darlington, County Durham and North Yorkshire were not told to shield until months after lockdown began last year, figures reveal. A group of MPs said the Government s lack of planning created a postcode lottery with areas across England reporting unacceptable variations in the numbers shielding. The Government originally asked those most vulnerable to Covid-19 to isolate in March last year. NHS Digital figures show 15,625 patients in County Durham were on the shielding list by April 12 – the earliest version available. The figures were 2,675 patients in Darlington and 3,165 in North Yorkshire.
More than 400,000 people in England had their Covid risk over-estimated by the NHS because of an over-cautious algorithm.
The QCovid algorithm, used to help identify who should be shielding or getting early access to vaccines, automatically put people into higher risk categories when data was missing, health news site Pulse reported.
If their weight wasn t recorded they were assumed to be obese and if their ethnicity was missing they were filed under black – both of which would assume someone was at a higher-than-average risk of severe Covid-19.
Doctors in York double-checking isolation lists said they found 110 cases where patients had been wrongly asked to stay at home and shield.
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