Most children who are shielding will not have to take such precautions in event of a second wave of coronavirus, Government advisers have said. The change of tack raises questions over why almost 100,000 children have been forced to stay at home for months. In total, around 2.2 million people have been advised to stay at home because they are at great risk of severe consequences from Covid-19. They include around 94,000 children and teenagers suffering from underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and kidney disease. On Monday, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, said the vast majority of children would not be asked to shield in the event of a second virus wave. Only a small group who receive specialist care in hospitals – including those receiving cancer care or those with immunodeficiency – are likely to be advised to stay at home. Dr Harries said the advice had changed because understanding of coronavirus had developed, showing that most children and young people are at low risk of serious illness. However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said children who had been given advice to shield should still stay at home until the end of July, when the shielding programme lifts, or until they received specific new advice from their GP.
