Dear all,

Thank you so much for all your continued support.

Some tiny steps forward:

One Welsh health board has said that ME/CFS should be in group 6:

https://www.facebook.com/171411469583186/posts/3767049500019347/

The Scottish First Minister said in the Scottish Parliament that she believes that ME/CFS should be in group 6:

https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/ministerial-statement-covid-19-february-23-2021?clip_start=14:46:00&clip_end=14:47:50

Whether either of these statements will translate into change for people on the ground, I just don’t know.

We are also really pleased to hear that more people with learning disabilities will now be included in group 6:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-adults-learning-disabilities-b1806604.html

...but disappointed that our issue has not received the same level of media coverage despite a press release being sent out to all major news organisations.

However, particular well done to Leeds ME Network for this article in the Yorkshire Evening Post:

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/health/coronavirus/leeds-me-network-campaigner-writes-chris-witty-over-vaccine-priority-list-group-six-jabs-begin-3138249?fbclid=IwAR2sayb4TesRPxsGKYl_BfyBNJqvzAlM_0EVVN7__sgq7u--TBwwAn52nuU

We are also disappointed with the lack of MPs raising the issue in parliament, either in Prime Minister's Questions today, or the statement on Monday. Do check out the template in this previous update if you are yet to write to your MP:

https://www.change.org/p/jvci-specify-me-cfs-on-the-list-of-neurological-conditions-under-group-6-for-uk-covid19-vaccine-and-end-the-postcode-lottery-of-who-gets-vaccinated/u/28550333

We are pleased to see that the Women’s Equality Party have written an open letter to the Health Secretary and Vaccines Minister about broader issue of chronically ill and disabled people being left off the vaccines list:

https://www.womensequality.org.uk/left_off_the_list?fbclid=IwAR18VqSCDIK7opJt2AjrqZE3gzmAE8FOi1cMGsBQue_lw7vJb6AWIl3ZvbI

If you use Twitter, you may wish to tweet the Chief Medical Officer (@CMO_England), Health & Social Care Secretary (@MattHancock), and Vaccines Minister (@nadhimzahawi) or the equivalents in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, to remind them of this issue, using this message:

@INSERTNAME Why won’t you #VaccinateME ? #MECFS has been left off the list of chronic neurological conditions for priority group 6 for the #Covid19 vaccine. Please amend this urgently. https://www.change.org/Covid19vaccine-MECFS

On a personal note, after 3 emails, 2 texts, 2 phone calls and threatening to launch a formal complaint to my GP practice, I have now got a vaccine booked for Friday. Ironically all of this effort means there’s a chance I may not be well enough to have the vaccine then, which is yet another reason why it is so ridiculous that we have to jump through all these extra hoops compared to other patients. And I am very aware that there are still so many of you being told no by your GPs, even after all the effort you are putting in.

I am planning to formally write to the JCVI with the petition in the coming days, so let’s all do one more big push for signatures.

Finally, big thanks go to the team at the Cambridge and Cambridgeshire Rural ME groups, particularly Mark (press release and MP letter template), Amy (Twitter outreach), Jane (email outreach), and Molly (database formation).

Rest well and keep fighting,

Nic