Rising number of blood cancer patients dying of Covid in England and Wales

Charities ask for more government help and blame confusion over access to care, shortage of boosters and lack of shielding support

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Ministers have been accused of failing to protect the most vulnerable people from rising Covid cases after it emerged that people with blood cancer now account for a higher proportion of coronavirus deaths than earlier in the pandemic.

With daily case numbers at record highs as a result of the Omicron variant, charities warn that people with suppressed immune systems who had been helped to shield at the start of the pandemic felt obliged to put themselves at risk at work, were confused about how to access treatments and less likely to have protection from vaccines.