As we brace ourselves for chillier days, extra indoor gatherings and seasonal social occasions with family and friends, now’s the best time to revisit the present steering on face coverings, isolation, vaccination and different behaviours that may scale back the unfold of COVID-19 and different respiratory infections recognized to peak in the course of the autumn and winter interval.
The recent emergence of COVID-19 variant BA 2.86 has led some individuals to ask if they need to change their behaviour in response to this or another new variant. Nonetheless, there are at present no modifications to the recommendation on what to do you probably have, or suppose you will have COVID-19, influenza (flu) or another respiratory an infection.
What does present steering say?
The steering on Living Safely with respiratory infections including coronavirus (COVID-19) issued in April 2022, nonetheless applies.
It units out a spread of easy actions you’ll be able to proceed to take to cut back the unfold of COVID-19 and different respiratory infections, and defend these at highest danger:
- Get vaccinated if you’re eligible
- Let contemporary air in if assembly others indoors
- Practise good hygiene:
- wash your fingers with heat, soapy water
- cowl your coughs and sneezes
- clear your environment continuously
- Take into account sporting a face overlaying you probably have respiratory signs and are more likely to come into contact with anybody liable to extreme sickness from COVID-19.
What ought to I do if I’ve signs?
You probably have signs of a respiratory an infection, resembling COVID-19 or flu, and you’ve got a excessive temperature or don’t really feel effectively sufficient to go to work or perform regular actions, attempt to keep at residence and keep away from contact with different individuals, till you now not have a excessive temperature (should you had one) or till you now not really feel unwell.
If you should exit, then keep away from shut contact with anybody who you recognize is at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell. The complete steering on what to do you probably have signs is out there at: Guidance for Living Safely with respiratory infections including coronavirus (COVID-19).
Who can get free COVID-19 checks?
You might be able to get free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests you probably have a well being situation which suggests you are eligible for COVID-19 remedies, or work in healthcare or in a hospice.
Should you’re not eligible, you should buy speedy lateral movement checks from some pharmacies and retailers, in particular person or on-line.
What ought to I do if I check constructive for COVID-19?
You probably have a constructive COVID-19 check end result it’s best to attempt to keep at residence and keep away from contact with different individuals for five days after the day you took your constructive check, even you probably have no signs.
It is best to keep away from assembly individuals at larger danger of turning into critically unwell with COVID-19 for 10 days after the day you took your check. See the full guidance on what to do if you test positive for COVID-19.
Am I eligible for COVID-19 vaccination?
Because of the success of our vaccine programme, now we have constructed a robust, broad immune defences towards COVID-19 all through the inhabitants. Nonetheless, some individuals stay extra susceptible to extreme sickness from COVID-19, and vaccination will present one of the best safety towards extreme an infection this winter.
These eligible for an autumn COVID-19 vaccine are:
- residents in a care residence for older adults
- all adults aged 65 years and over
- individuals aged 6 months to 64 years in a medical danger group, as specified by the Immunisation Green Book, COVID-19 chapter
- frontline well being and social care employees
- individuals aged 12 to 64 years who’re family contacts (as outlined within the Inexperienced E book) of individuals with immunosuppression
- individuals aged 16 to 64 years who’re carers (as outlined within the Inexperienced E book) and employees working in care properties for older adults.
All of the vaccines suggested for the 2023 autumn booster marketing campaign are anticipated to be efficient at stopping severe sickness and hospitalisation from COVID-19. If you’re supplied a booster vaccination, or another COVID-19 or Flu vaccinations, please settle for the provide as quickly as you’ll be able to. It is very important have your vaccine to construct up your safety towards extreme sickness earlier than the winter.
Ought to pregnant ladies have a COVID-19 vaccine?
All pregnant ladies are outlined as a part of a medical danger group and are inspired to get vaccinated to guard themselves and their unborn infants. Being pregnant modifications how your physique fights infections like COVID-19 and catching it whereas pregnant will increase your danger and your child’s danger of issues which can lead to hospitalisation.
The COVID-19 vaccine can be given safely to expectant mothers at any stage of pregnancy, even proper from the beginning.
Ought to I be sporting a face overlaying?
Together with the opposite measures set out within the Dwelling with COVID-19 steering, face coverings proceed to be a great tool in limiting the unfold of COVID-19 and different respiratory viruses in some conditions.
As current steering states, sporting a well-fitting face overlaying when unwell can scale back the variety of particles containing viruses which might be launched from the mouth and nostril of somebody who’s contaminated with COVID-19 and different respiratory infections. That is customary respiratory well being recommendation and steering on face coverings has not modified because it was printed in April 2022.
Face coverings also can defend the particular person sporting them from turning into contaminated with different respiratory viruses.
There’s additional data on when individuals with signs of a respiratory an infection or a constructive COVID-19 check end result ought to take into account sporting a face overlaying out there within the guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection or a positive test result.
What ought to I do if my little one is unwell?
Present tips for fogeys state that it is effective to ship your little one to high school with a minor cough or common cold. Nonetheless, youngsters shouldn’t be despatched to high school if they’ve a temperature of 38°C or above, or in the event that they really feel unable to go to high school or do their regular actions. See the NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance for additional data.
There’s huge settlement amongst well being and academic professionals that faculty attendance is significant to the life probabilities of youngsters and younger individuals. Being in class often improves psychological and bodily well being, wellbeing and socialisation all through youngsters’s lives.
This 12 months, youngsters and younger individuals as much as 12 months 11 are being supplied the flu vaccination nasal spray at their college or school: mother and father ought to look out for the digital or paper consent kind and remember to return it when requested to take action.
You probably have a toddler aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023 (born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2021), you’ll be able to e book a flu vaccine at your GP Apply. Find out more at the NHS website.
See our ‘back to school’ post for extra data and recommendation on conserving youngsters wholesome once they return to the classroom.
By all doing our bit to stop transmission, we may also help our households and communities get winter robust.
