Coronavirus (COVID-19) Highest Risk (formerly Shielding) List end: equality and fairer Scotland impact assessment

This presents an assessment of any differential impact on each of the protected characteristics of the decision to end Scotland’s Covid Highest Risk List, formerly the Shielding List and considers any possible inequality of outcomes of the policy due to socio-economic differences.


Annex 1: Composition of the Highest Risk List

As at 4 April 2022, there were 176,292 people on the Highest Risk List (around 3.2% of the population). The includes people with the following conditions:

Number of individuals on the Highest Risk list by group (as at 4 April 2022)
Highest Risk Group^ On highest risk list
1 (Organ transplant recipients) 6,632
2 (Specific cancers) 25,598
3 (severe respiratory conditions) 69,391
4 (Rare diseases, including people with Downs Syndrome) 10,539
5 (On immunosuppression therapies) 36,143
6 (Pregnant with heart disease) 82
7 (GP or clinician identified) 50,380
^ The same individual may be counted in one or more of the highest risk groups.  

Of those individuals who are currently were on the highest risk list as of 4 April 2022:

  • 51% are 65 years of age or over
  • 56% are women
  • there are 1,369 children aged under 16
  • some people will be disabled but we don't have numbers
  • some people will be from minority ethnic communities but we don't have numbers
  • Almost half (48%) live in the two most deprived Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles

Contact

Email: Shielding@gov.scot

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