What is the CEV list?
The COVID Extremely Vulnerable list [CEV] is a list of patients who scientists think will be the worst affected by getting COVID-19.
You might get added to the list if the computer calculation thinks you are in the top 2% of the population at risk of catching COVID-19 and then having to go to the hospital, or dying.
How is the CEV list made?
The computer calculates from data held about you by your GP, and from hospital data.
It uses a calculation called QCOVID, made by the University of Oxford.
If some data is missing, it fills in the missing data. For example,
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if there is no data about your race, it assumes you are Afro-Caribbean
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if the height or weight data is missing, it assumes you are a bit fat [BMI 30]
This is done so that the computer is cautious, it is more likely to add you to the list than take you off, if it is not sure.
Sometimes a hospital or GP will have added slightly wrong information about a person, for example, have the wrong height or weight. A common problem is mothers who get diabetes when they are pregnant and the computer still thinking they have diabetes years later, when they don't any more.
Whether you have a Learning Disability or a Severe Learning Disability, ADHD, or another mental illness is now included in the computer scoring.
The computer looks at medical records for tens of thousands of people who caught COVID-19 before, to calculate the risks for different types of people with different features, different races and different illnesses in a huge computer data store.
What happens next if I have been added to the CEV list?
If you are added to the CEV list now, you may be asked to self-isolate and, you may be moved up the queue for a COVID-19 vaccination. If you get COVID-19 you may also be given an oximeter by the NHS and get regular check-ups [you may be added to a COVID 'Virtual Ward'].
Frequently asked questions
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How do I know I have been added to the list – you will be contacted by your GP using SMS, email, or with a phone call
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What should I do if I think I should be on the list, or I am on the list by mistake – contact your GP, you or your carer can use GP Online Consultation to contact your GP if you don't want to phone
If you want to find out more:
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Self-isolation guides for COVID-19 are available here, in 60 different languages are on the Doctors of the World website
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NHS Digital have information about the QCOVID computer calculation
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You can try out the QCOVID calculator here for yourself [*not for medical use*] to see how changing the values can change the score. Bear in mind your actual score is made by adding your GP data to hospital data, and so may contain data you don't know about
QCOVID is a registered trademark of the University of Oxford.