AS THE UK’s coronavirus alert level has been upgraded from three to four – meaning transmission is “high or rising exponentially” - people will naturally be concerned about the impact catching the virus might have on them.

The government’s scientific adviser has warned that there could be 50,000 new Covid-19 cases a day by mid-October without further action, and prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the nation this evening to announce further restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

Already, people are being advised to work from home if they can, while pubs, bars and restaurants are being told they must close at 10pm from Thursday.

While we all await news of what will happen next, here you can calculate what your personal risk of becoming seriously unwell is if you catch Covid-19, using a risk assessment tool published by the British Medical Association (BMA).

It is designed to help facilitate work-based risk assessments, using a scoring mechanism to help quantify a person’s personal biological risk. However, it does not incorporate external factors, such as high-risk household members or those at the higher risk of mental health issues.

The BMA advises that the tool “does not replace the need for a comprehensive risk assessment” by employers.

AGE:

Over 50 – add 1

Over 60 – add 2

Over 70 – add 4

Over 80 – add 6

GENDER: 

Female – 0

Male – add 1

ETHNICITY: 

Caucasian – 0

Black African descent – add 2

Indian Asian descent – add 1

Filipino descent – add 1

Other (including mixed race) – add 1

DIABETES AND OBESITY:

Type 1 or Type 2 (uncomplicated) – add 1

Type 1 or Type 2 (complicated) – add 2

BMI over 35 – add 1

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:

Add 1 each for:

Heart disease

Angina

Previous MI, stroke, or cardiac intervention

For heart failure – add 2

PULMONARY DISEASE:

Asthma – add 1

Non-asthma chronic pulmonary disease – add 2

Either of these requiring oral corticosteroids in previous year – add 1

MALIGNANT NEOPLASM:

Active malignancy – add 3

Malignancy in remission – add 1

RHEUMATOLOGICAL CONDITIONS:

Active treated conditions – add 2

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANT THERAPY:

Any indication – add 2

RESULTS

Low Risk – less than 3

Medium Risk – 3 to 5

High Risk – 6 or more