Coronavirus vaccine and treatments
Everyone aged 65 and over is now eligible for their coronavirus autumn booster vaccine. Yes. The UK regulator and...
Coronavirus, sometimes referred to as 'COVID-19', is part of a family of viruses that affects your lungs and airways. Although many of the previous rules and restrictions are no longer in place, there's still government guidance that you can follow to help keep you and your loved ones safe and well.
Coronavirus, also called COVID-19, is part of a family of viruses that includes the common cold and more serious respiratory illnesses such as SARS.
Coronavirus affects your lungs and airways. For many people, coronavirus causes mild to moderate symptoms and they'll be able to recover without needing special treatment. However, for others, coronavirus can be much more serious – they'll need medical attention and hospital treatment.
Common symptoms of coronavirus include:
Other symptoms people have reported include:
Coronavirus symptoms are very similar to symptoms of other illnesses, like the common cold and the flu.
Find out more about the flu (influenza)
If your symptoms get worse, feel unmanageable, or you feel breathless, then you should call 111 or use the 111 online service on the NHS website.
Most people with coronavirus symptoms feel better within a few days and make a full recovery within weeks. However, others can feel the effects for some time after. These long-term effects of coronavirus are sometimes referred to as 'long COVID'.
The most common symptoms of long COVID are:
But there are lots of other symptoms, including brain fog, difficulty sleeping, depression and anxiety.
If you've had coronavirus symptoms for more than 4 weeks and you're worried that they're not easing up, contact your GP or healthcare professional.
Coronavirus spreads very easily and in much the same way as the common cold or flu. Infected droplets – from coughs or sneezes – spread from person to person. This means there are simple measures you can take to prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as:
However, the best way to protect yourself from coronavirus is to make sure you're fully vaccinated – including any booster jabs you're eligible for. Booster jabs are important because research has shown that the protection the vaccines provide starts to decrease as time goes on. Plus, vaccines are being updated all the time to protect you from more recent variants of coronavirus.
The average ‘incubation period’ – the time between coming into contact with the virus and experiencing symptoms – is 5 days, but it could be anything between 1 and 14 days.
People are most likely to spread the virus to other people when they're experiencing symptoms, which is why it's important to stay at home if you have symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus.
Yes – the UK regulator and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI – the independent experts that advise the government on all vaccines) have assessed all approved vaccines to be safe and able to offer a high level of protection against becoming severely unwell with coronavirus, including for older people.
While there are different vaccines available, no one will receive a vaccine that hasn’t gone through a proper process of approval and been shown to be safe.
Find out more about the coronavirus vaccine and other coronavirus treatments
There are a couple of ways you can book in for a coronavirus vaccine or booster.
You can book or manage a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online on the NHS website. You can use this online service if you're 18 or over and registered with a GP surgery in England.
Use the COVID-19 online service on the NHS website
If you can't use the online service, or simply don't want to, you can also call 119 free of charge to book over the phone. You can speak to a translator if you need to.
When booking your appointments, it may be helpful to have your NHS number to hand – you can find it on letters from the NHS or on some prescription medications.
From 18 September, the NHS began inviting people in priority order of risk to have their autumn booster jab. The following groups are eligible for a coronavirus booster jab this autumn (2023-24):
If any of the above apply to you but you haven't had your first dose of the coronavirus vaccine yet, you can still get it during the autumn booster period.
It's important that you get your flu jab as well as your coronavirus booster this winter – they're different vaccinations that protect you against different viruses.
There aren't currently any restrictions or rules in place for what to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus, test positive, or both. However, current guidance recommends that people who catch coronavirus should 'try to stay at home'.
Where possible, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you or the people you live with have coronavirus symptoms and have a high temperature or don't feel well enough to carry out your usual activities.
You can treat many symptoms of coronavirus at home.
You no longer have to test for coronavirus if you're showing the symptoms. However, if you do decide to test and you do test positive, the NHS advises people to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the test was taken. You should also avoid meeting people wo are more likely to get seriously ill for 10 days after the test was taken, such as people with a weakened immune system.
There aren't currently any coronavirus restrictions in the UK.
For example, all COVID-19 travel restrctions have now been lifted in the UK, including the passenger locator form (PLF) for arrivals into the UK, as well as all tests for passengers who don't qualify as vaccinated. You also don't need to take a test or quarantine when you arrive in the UK. However, if you're travelling abroad, it's a good idea to check the travel advice for any country you're travelling to.
Find out more about different countries' travel advice on GOV.UK
You no longer have to self-isolate if you test positive for coronavirus or are in contact with someone who has.
However, we strongly advise that if you do test positive for coronavirus you stay at home and avoid contact with people, particularly anyone who's vulnerable – even if you live in the same household.
It's no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering. However, you may feel more comfortable wearing one in busy or enclosed spaces. Some places, such as healthcare settings, may require or encourage you to wear a face mask or covering when entering their building or using their services.
The government has published guidance to help care homes ensure that visits can take place as safely as possible.
Care home residents who have symptoms of a respiratory infection and have a high temperature or don't feel well enough to do their usual activities are advised to avoid contact with other people. They should be supported to stay away from others until they feel better. These residents aren't required to take a coronavirus test and are able to have at least one visitor during this time, as long as appropriate precautionary measures are taken.
Care home residents who test positive should be supported to:
Overall, the government's guidance emphasises the fact that contact with relatives and friends is fundamental to care home residents’ health and wellbeing and visiting should be supported. Given this, there shouldn't normally be any restrictions to visits into or out of the care home – the right to private and family life is a human right protected in law. Other guidance includes the following:
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 120 local Age UKs.
Everyone aged 65 and over is now eligible for their coronavirus autumn booster vaccine. Yes. The UK regulator and...
Find out more about the flu, including what the symptoms are, how you can prevent it from spreading.
Find out more about some routine health checks that are quick to perform and can help you spot signs of illness.
Find information about the services your GP can offer you and what to do if you're too ill to visit your GP.
Regardless of age, very few people feel well all the time. Here are some ways you can get help when you're ill.
Find out more about your rights and responsibilities as a patient in the NHS Constitution.