THE government has come under fire for failing to include people with motor neurone disease like Doddie Weir in the list of extremely vulnerable people for coronavirus shielding.

Two days ago, the government brought in a raft of new measures for shielding and protecting to help the nations's most vulnerable in the pandemic.

It has said that those who "face the highest risk of being hospitalised by coronavirus” include people with severe respiratory conditions, such as asthma.

To help prevent the spread of the virus the NHS shared new advice for those most vulnerable a warning to those most at risk to stay home.

It comes after the government said an estimated 1.4million people who are most 'at risk' from severe coronavirus will be sent a text message or letter advising them to stop all social contact.

Motor neurone disease (MND) sees muscles waste away after a loss of nerve cells that control movement, speech and breathing.

There is no effective treatment or cure, and half of the 1,500 people who are diagnosed each year die within 24 months.

Now MND Scotland has said it is "deeply concerned" to see that people with motor neurone disease have not been included in the UK Government’s list of extremely vulnerable people in their guidance on shielding and protecting vulnerable persons from Covid-19.

MND was a recognised condition on the published guidance on social distancing.

The Herald: Health Secretary Matt Hancock (PA Video/PA Wire)

But the charity said: "We believe that this is confusing and has serious implications for access to critical care for people living with MND."

It has now called on the Scottish Government, who are using the same guidance to work with the health secretary Matt Hancock to review this "as a matter of urgency".

Former rugby international Doddie Weir revealed his MND diagnosis in June 2017 and set up a foundation to seek answers for a cure.

The government said an estimated 1.4m people who are most 'at risk' from severe coronavirus were to be sent a text message or letter advising them to stop all social contact.

The high-risk group

1. Solid organ transplant recipients

2. People with specific cancers: people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer, people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment, people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer, people having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs

3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD.

4. People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell).

5. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection.