Treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19)
Getting your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from the virus. However, treatments are available for those with coronavirus who are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill.
Who can have COVID-19 treatments
You are eligible for a COVID-19 treatment if all of the following apply:
- you are in one of the highest risk groups either because of your age, or a condition you have
- you are aged 12 or over
- you have symptoms of COVID-19
- you have tested positive for COVID-19
You are considered at highest risk is you:
- are aged 85 years and over
- have end-stage heart failure and have a long-term ventricular assistance device implant
- are a resident in a care home and aged 70 years and over, or have a BMI of 35 kg/m² or more, or diabetes or heart failure
- are on an organ transplant waiting list
- are living with an organ transplant
This also includes some people with the following conditions:
- Down's syndrome, or another chromosomal disorder that affects your immune system
- certain types of cancer, or have received treatment for certain types of cancer, such as:
- lung cancer at any stage
- cancers which have spread elsewhere in the body (metastatic) or are locally advanced but inoperable
- had a cancer removed within the last three to twelve months and have not had chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- other cancers needing chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the last year, including blood cancers
- certain conditions affecting your blood, such as bone marrow transplant in the last year, sickle cell disease, myeloma, AL amyloidosis or thalassaemia
- chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4 or 5, including people on dialysis
- severe liver disease
- certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease when you have:
- been treated with steroids for at least the 28 days before you tested positive for COVID-19
- active disease, needing a recent increase in dose or starting treatment with a new immunosuppressive drug or steroid injection or course of oral steroids within the three months before you tested positive for COVID-19
- need to take other drugs such as biologics, methotrexate or azathioprine
- HIV or AIDS and have a weakened immune system
- complex immune deficiencies
- certain lung conditions or treatment for lung conditions, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or asthma or COPD needing high doses of steroids, on long-term oxygen, or receiving ventilation (NIV or tracheostomy)
- certain conditions affecting the brain or nerves, such as:
- multiple sclerosis
- muscular dystrophy
- motor neurone disease
- myasthenia gravis
- Huntington's disease, Parkinson’s disease and certain types of dementia, when associated with severe frailty
This list is a summary and does not cover everything.
If you're unsure, speak to your GP, after checking against the full list of eligible groups, detailed at:
The NICE COVID-19 treatment guidelines are available at:
- NICE technology appraisal guidance for treating COVID-19
- COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing COVID-19
How to get a COVID-19 treatment
If you're eligible for a COVID-19 treatment, you should stay alert to the symptoms of COVID-19 and keep a pack of lateral flow tests at home, in case you develop symptoms.
If you’re eligible, you can get a free rapid lateral flow test kit from a community pharmacy.
If you have checked that you are eligible for COVID-19 treatment and you develop any symptoms of COVID-19, even if they are mild, you should test as soon as possible with a lateral flow test.
If your test is positive, contact your GP or GP out of hours service, who can refer you to be assessed for a COVID-19 treatment.
Make sure that your GP has your correct phone number in their records, as this will be needed to arrange assessment and treatment.
These additional treatments need to be given quickly after you get a positive lateral flow test result to be most effective.
If your test result is negative, but you still have symptoms of COVID-19, you need to do a total of three rapid lateral flow tests over three days.
If any of these lateral flow tests are positive, you can stop testing and follow the steps for a positive test result.
If your GP refers you to be assessed for a COVID-19 treatment, the triage team from the HSC Trust will contact you to discuss this further. This call may be from an unknown or withheld number.
HSC treatments for COVID-19 are free. You will never be asked for your bank account or card details or asked to pay for treatment.
Which treatment you will have
COVID-19 treatments available are:
- Antiviral Paxlovid (may be known as nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir)
- nMAB treatment Sotrovimab
- Antiviral Remdesivir (Veklury)
- Antiviral molnupiravir (Lagevrio)
THE HSC Trust will advise which treatment, if any, is suitable for you.
Some treatments come as either tablets or capsules that you swallow.
These can be taken at home and the HSC Trust will advise how you will get them.
Others are given to you through a drip in your arm (infusion), at a hospital, other healthcare site, or in your home.
Once you have been reviewed by a doctor, you will receive instructions on where and when you will get the treatment and advice on how to safely get to the hospital, if that is needed, as you are COVID-19 positive.
Pregnancy
If you're pregnant, or became pregnant while taking Paxlovid, Remdesivir or Molnupiravir, or shortly after, report this by phoning the UK COVID-19 Antivirals in Pregnancy Registry on 0344 892 0909.
Also speak to your healthcare professional.
More information is available at this link:
Accessing treatment elsewhere in the UK and Ireland
If you're away from home and travelling elsewhere in the UK and need to access COVID-19 treatments, find out how to below.
England
In England, contact the nearest GP, or Out of Hours GP service via NHS 111 to allow you to access treatment within the recommended time.
Wales
In Wales, contact the nearest GP, or Out of Hours GP service via NHS 111 to allow you to access treatment within the recommended time.
Further information is available at:
Scotland
If you are visiting Scotland and need access to COVID-19 treatments, you should contact the nearest Health Board to be assessed for your eligibility to access treatment.
The Health Board single point of contact details are available on the NHS Inform website.
If you are phoning out of hours and reach an answering machine and leave a message, you will receive a call back from the relevant Health Board.
Health Board contact numbers are not for use if you're seeking urgent medical advice or have a general health query.
You should seek the advice of a GP if:
- your symptoms worsen
- you're concerned about your symptoms
- you have symptoms that you can no longer manage at home
- you're worried about your child, especially if they're under two years of age
If this happens when a GP practice is closed, phone 111. In an emergency, phone 999.
Republic of Ireland
If you are travelling to the Republic of Ireland, you can access treatment by contacting the nearest GP, who can prescribe treatment for you in the same way to that available for their own patients.