Almost half a million people who are most at risk from coronavirus have still not received a shielding letter, Mirror Online can reveal.
An estimated 1.5million 'high risk' people were supposed to have received a letter or text advising them to stop all face-to-face contact for 12 weeks by Sunday March 29.
But many of those people with serious underlying health conditions have still not been contacted.
These include transplant patients, people with asthma and some with rare lung diseases.
Bev Pearson, whose daughter Lucy had a heart transplant 14 years ago, told the BBC: "It's like she's been forgotten."
The delay means that many people may not realise they are high risk and could potentially be putting themselves and their families at risk from the killer bug by going out to get food shopping or exercising in public spaces.
NHS Digital compiled the list of high risk people identifying about 900,000 patients using a complex algorithm based on several factors including people's diagnosis, medication and hospital visits.
Due to the urgency the high risk list was pulled together in just 48 hours - a process which would usually take weeks.
Those people should have already received an official letter or text.
But NHS Digital knew the list would not identify every patient so asked GPs and hospitals to add to the list and expect another 600,000 patients to be included.
GPs and hospital doctors and nurses, already under strain as they battle the virus, have been trawling through patient records to categorise each individual's risk.
NHS Digital say that a second run of letters are being sent out to 417,000 "additional patients identified in the April run of the algorithm".
This figure is expected to be even bigger once doctors and hospitals also add more patients to the list.
The government has advised people to register themselves on the government website if they think they were vulnerable or high risk.
Supermarkets have been using the high risk list to give priority to vulnerable customers to get food meaning many have missed out on this important opportunity.
Liz Goldfinch, 79, told the BBC: "I'd be fairly unlikely to survive if I got coronavirus.
Liz, from Droitwich in Worcestershire, is self-isolating with her husband, 88, as she has cryptogenic organising pneumonia (COP) - a rare lung condition - and Parkinson's disease.
She said: "I haven't yet received a letter and if I have been missed off the list I feel pretty annoyed and worried I suppose."
Tina Cleveland has called for more clarity from the Government on shielding letters and launched a petition on Change.org.
Her husband, Ray, 59, has Cold Agglutinin, Neuphrotic Syndrome and in 2015 had pneumonia which has made him susceptible to chest infections.
He received a text on Monday 23rd March but is yet to receive a letter.
She said: "Yesterday we phoned his consultants, one said he wasn't on the list, the other said he should be because of the Neuphrotic Syndrome as he is Prednisolone (steroid) dependant.
"So we phoned our local GP who said he was not flagged as being vulnerable.
"So now we are in a position of not knowing where we stand.
"When the lockdown is over does he go back to work and maybe put himself at risk or does he shield for the 12 weeks as recommended in the text?
"I have heard of people who have had transplants, people with COPD and other illnesses that have not received letters.
"There seems a big hole in the system and it is worrying that people may be putting themselves and their health at risk."
Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "GP practices are working hard to notify patients who are considered to be in a vulnerable group, and therefore at higher-risk of getting Covid-19, about measures they should take to keep as safe as possible."
He told the BBC that the information had been collected from GP computer systems and added "every effort is being made to ensure that the data is accurate".
"We're in an ever-changing situation and NHS England are currently updating their guidance for GPs on delivering care for vulnerable patients," he said.
Speaking about asking those at high risk to undertake shielding, health secretary Matt Hancock said last month that it was a "really big ask and really difficult" but are for "people's own protection" - adding people in those categories should “take themselves away from all social contact”.
Mr Hancock told Sky News: "The first thing we’re going to do is set out exactly what conditions that applies to.
“We expect about 1.4million people to then get a communication from the NHS to say they are part of this and what they need to do.
“Many of these people have pre-existing health conditions and so will be very worried right now and I understand that.
“They’ll need very specific sets of action - for instance, how do you go about still getting your chemo if you have cancer, whilst also social distancing.
“If you have cancer it’s particularly important to stay away from other people, but you also of course have got to keep going with your chemotherapy.
“So these are some of the most difficult and challenging cases. We’ll be getting in contact with them.
“If people think they are on this list and don’t receive a communication from the NHS, they also need to get in contact.”
