Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to minimise the risk of infection from covid-19 among (a) the over-60s, (b) people with (i) cardiovascular disease, (ii) diabetes, (iii) respiratory disease and (iv) cancer and (c) other high-risk groups.

It is likely that older people and those with chronic medical conditions may be vulnerable to severe illness as a result of COVID-19, based on analysis of the data from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in China.

Public Health England and other national organisations have published messages to the public (which includes those with chronic conditions and the over-60s) as to the best ways to protect themselves from infection, including the importance of frequent hand cleaning with soap and water or sanitiser. The public are also advised to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing and throw the tissue away immediately. The importance of not touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands is also being emphasised. Information is also provided on symptoms and exposure risk factors, which are kept under review and may need to be updated as the outbreak evolves and new information becomes available.

Further information is available at the following links:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public