People in Liverpool could be among the most likely in the country to be at higher risk from Covid-19 when all remaining restrictions are dropped on Thursday.
On Monday, Boris Johnson controversially announced an end to the need for anyone in England to self-isolate if they have Covid-19.
Universal free testing will also be scrapped from Thursday under the Prime Minister's 'living with covid plan.'
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The news has come as a concern for some - particularly those considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable, who feel they may be at more risk now.
Around 49,395 people across Liverpool were recorded as being clinically extremely vulnerable and at high risk of death from Covid-19 at the end of September, latest NHS figures show.
That’s nearly 10% of the city’s population, according to Office for National Statistics estimates – the third-highest proportion of any area in England.
The figure stood at 9.4% in Sefton, and 8.4% in Knowsley.
Across Merseyside as a whole, 126,205 were identified as being more vulnerable – 8.8% of the area’s population.
The figures are from NHS Digital’s shielded patient list, which was compiled to support those who needed to shield in the earlier stages of the pandemic due to being at greater risk of serious illness or death from Covid.
The shielding programme ended in mid-September, with ministers saying that vaccine uptake and drug treatments meant the most vulnerable would no longer be advised to stay behind closed doors.
However, some of those previously considered extremely vulnerable are still deemed to be at high risk from Covid-19, according to the NHS.
It means the list provides an indicator of areas that could still have relatively high proportions of more vulnerable people as the Government is set to axe the final restrictions.
Across England, around 3.7 million people were on the shielded patient list at the end of September.
That’s roughly 6.5% of the population, although the number had dropped slightly compared to the preceding months.
And more than 500,000 people across the UK with weakened immune systems are thought to be at particularly high risk.
Liverpool and the wider city region have suffered disproportionately in terms of infections and deaths during the pandemic.
A combination of factors involving high levels of deprivation, low density housing, existing health issues and a large proportion of people working in public-facing service roles were all thought to contribute to this impact.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, who chairs the British Medical Association’s council, said the Prime Minister's announcement this week “neglects some of the most vulnerable people in society”.
He added: “We recognise the need, after two years of the pandemic, to begin thinking about how we adjust our lives to manage living alongside Covid-19, but as the BMA has persistently said the decision to bring forward the removal of all protective measures while cases, deaths and the number of people seriously ill remain so high is premature.
“Living with Covid-19 must not mean ignoring the virus altogether – which in many respects the Government’s plan in England seems to do.”
As part of the changes, an additional booster will be offered to all adults aged over 75, older care home residents, and over-12s with weakened immune systems.
Self-isolation support payments will end on Thursday, as will routine contact tracing, meaning fully vaccinated adults and those under 18 who are close contacts are no longer advised to test daily for a week.
The legal requirement for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to self-isolate will also be scrapped.
However, until April people who test positive will still be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least five days.
Introducing the measures in the House of Commons, Mr Johnson said: “Covid will not suddenly disappear, so those who would wait for a total end to this war before lifting the remaining regulations would be restricting the liberties of the British people for a long time to come.
“This Government does not believe that that is right or necessary. Restrictions take a heavy toll on our economy, our society, our mental wellbeing and the life chances of our children, and we do not need to pay that cost any longer.”
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