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 (a) limit the chances of infection of and (b) provide other support to people with pre-existing respiratory conditions during the covid-19 outbreak.

There are some clinical conditions which put people at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This includes people with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD. If an individual is in this ‘extremely vulnerable’ category, the NHS will be in direct contact with advice on the more stringent measures that should be taken in order for the person concerned to shield themselves. For those in the shielded category this advice is constantly kept under review.