SOME of the most vulnerable people in Oxfordshire are to be contacted by a specialist council team.

More than 4,000 ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ (CEV) residents in West Oxfordshire will be contacted this week as the district’s council looks to ensure their needs are met.

People are classed as CEV if they are at very high risk of severe illness from Covid-19, primarily due to underlying health conditions which force them to take extra precautions.

CEV residents could benefit from priority online supermarket delivery, or given help accessing mental health or welfare services.

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In total, 4,132 residents from a list supplied by the Government will be contacted by the West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) team.

Initially, emails and texts will be sent, asking if support is required.

For those without email or mobiles, there will be telephone calls.

Clearly identifiable officers will knock on people’s doors to check on them if they do not respond to other forms of contact.

Suzi Coul, WODC cabinet member for community and public health, said: “Of course, people should continue to be extremely vigilant about fraudsters contacting them, asking for money, or posing as a council or NHS workers.”