Sarah Hemmings, 34, from Norwich was diagnosed with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2019. She is on a disease-modifying treatment called Ocrelizumab to manage her MS symptoms, but it also affects her immune system, placing her at higher risk from Covid.
Hemmings, a primary school teacher and mother of two children under five, hasn’t been to a restaurant in two years and, more significantly, is no longer able to work.
“I can’t return to the job that I love and now the restrictions are completely lifting, life is going to become even more dangerous and isolating,” she says.
Hemmings has had no antibody response despite having had all her vaccinations and for the last couple of years, she and her family have had to think carefully about all their interactions.
Johnson asserted yesterday that we should now be thinking of Covid in the same way that we do the flu but Hemmings is now worried about catching both.
“I’ve had a flu jab every year since 2016 and I had one just before starting treatment for my MS,” she explains. “I have developed some antibody response, which means I do have some existing immunity to some strains of flu, but it’s still a concern.”
And with Covid restrictions lifting, her safety feels compromised from all angles.
“My five-year-old daughter goes to school but wears a mask at all times because of me,” she explains. “I don’t go to the shops at all and my social life has been very limited, only seeing people outside and after they’ve tested. Whether it’s going for a coffee or taking my kids to the library, I’m constantly thinking, ‘is it worth the risk?’”
Taking away the isolation period and free testing will curtail her few freedoms even further.
“There’s been so much talk about freedom and living with the virus but I’m part of a diverse group of people who want to live full and meaningful lives but are being ignored,” she says. “To an extent, mask-wearing, social distancing and isolation periods were enabling us to continue at least some vital interaction with others but once this is removed, our safety is being sacrificed and we won’t be able to participate in society like everyone else.”
Hemmings is angry at the government’s “all or nothing” approach to the virus and thinks free tests should still be available for everyone – “it allows us to make decisions on whether we can see friends and family” – and there should be more focus on better ventilation and more installations of HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters in public buildings and schools, which block virus particles and stop them from circulating.
