Follow local government guidance
Coronavirus guidance is changing regularly as knowledge of the virus develops. It’s important to keep up to date with any restrictions in place or guidelines to follow in your area to minimise transmission and protect yourself and others.
The following links are to UK government websites where the latest coronavirus guidance will be published.
Test regularly
Free twice weekly rapid lateral flow tests are available to everyone in England, Scotland and Wales. There are lots of places you can get test kits, including:
online, with home delivery
community test centres
participating workplaces
schools and colleges for students and staff
PCR test centres, usually at a specific collection time.
If you’re testing at home, you need to report your result online or by calling 119.
Are lateral flow tests accurate?
A 2020 analysis by Public Health England and the University of Oxford, estimated lateral flow tests to be 99.68% accurate[2].
An analysis published in March 2021 using NHS Test and Trace data estimated that lateral flow tests were 99.97% accurate. This means for every 1,000 lateral flow tests carried out, there will be less than one false positive result[3].
Long COVID
While a lot of people who have had coronavirus can feel better after a few days or weeks, many people report ongoing symptoms.
These symptoms can continue for weeks or months after recovering from the infection. The long-term effects of coronavirus are often called long COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome[4].
Speak to your doctor if you’re experiencing ongoing symptoms after recovering from coronavirus.
It’s never been more important to make your health a priority.
Taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle and managing your own wellbeing can lead to long term benefits, beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more about some of the ways you can improve your general health:
There are some health conditions that have been linked to people being at an increased risk of becoming seriously ill or having to go into hospital with coronavirus.
Find out more about some of these health conditions and how they relate to coronavirus risk:
Where can I get further support and information?
More topics
Anxiety and depression
Resources and information to help people with anxiety and/or depression, as well as general support with mental wellbeing.
Read more
Published
October 2021
Next review
January 2022
Reviewed by
Gill Stone MRPharmS
References
1.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. nhs.uk. Published November 26, 2020. Accessed May 27, 2021.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/2.
UK evaluation_PHE Porton Down University of Oxford_final.pdf. Accessed May 12, 2021.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/UK%20evaluation_PHE%20Porton%20Down%20%20University%20of%20Oxford_final.pdf3.
Lateral flow device specificity in phase 4 (post-marketing) surveillance. GOV.UK. Accessed May 12, 2021.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lateral-flow-device-specificity-in-phase-4-post-marketing-surveillance4.
Long-term effects of coronavirus (long COVID). nhs.uk. Published January 7, 2021. Accessed May 10, 2021.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/long-term-effects-of-coronavirus-long-covid/
