About Coronavirus

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading

Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions.

You can only leave your home:

to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary

What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms

Continue to stay at home and book a test if you have any of the following symptoms.

The main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you have any of these symptoms, get a test to check if you have coronavirus and stay at home until you get your result.

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.

You can book a test if you have symptoms here

You can also use a ‘Rapid Test Centre’ if you have no symptoms (some people with Coronavirus do not have any symptoms but can still pass it on)

The closest rapid test centre is Pavilion Gardens, Buxton and the following statement has been issued by Derbyshire County Council (18/02/2021)

High Peak residents are being asked to come for a coronavirus test as part of Derbyshire County Council’s targeted community testing programme.

The county council testing centre is at Pavilion Gardens (access from the promenade) on St John’s Road in Buxton, SK17 6BE.

The opening times are 9am to 7pm every day.

One in three people who have the virus don’t have any symptoms, so everyone is invited to come along and get a test to protect their family.

The testing is NOT for people with actual coronavirus symptoms – they should book a test – see above link or phone 119 to book on the phone.

You can find out more about the testing by visiting www.derbyshire.gov.uk/communitytesting

Use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.

Use the 111 coronavirus service

Information:Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

What to do if you need medical help for another reason

If you need medical help not related to coronavirus, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

For health information and advice, use the NHS website or check your GP surgery website.
For urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service. Only call 111 if you’re unable to get help online.
For life-threatening emergencies, call 999 for an ambulance.

Read more advice about getting medical help at home.

Advice for people at high risk

If you’re at high risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus, there are extra things you should do to avoid catching it.

These include:

not leaving your home – you should not go out to do shopping, visit friends or family, or attend any gatherings
avoiding close contact with other people in your home as much as possible

Read the full advice on protecting yourself if you’re at high risk from coronavirus on GOV.UK.

Who is at high risk?

Definition of clinically extremely vulnerable groups

People who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable are thought to be at very high risk of serious illness from coronavirus. There are 3 ways you may be identified as clinically extremely vulnerable:

You have one or more of the conditions listed below.
Your clinician or GP has added you to the Shielded Patient List because, based on their clinical judgement, they deem you to be at high risk of serious illness if you catch the virus.
You have been identified through the COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment as potentially being at high risk of serious illness if you catch the virus.

If you do not fall into any of these categories, and have not been contacted to inform you that you are on the Shielded Patient List, follow the national lockdown guidance for the rest of the population.

If you think there are good clinical reasons why you should be added to the Shielded Patient List, discuss your concerns with your GP or hospital clinician. People with the following conditions are automatically deemed clinically extremely vulnerable:

solid organ transplant recipients
people with specific cancers:
- people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
- people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
- people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
- people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
- people having other targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
- people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
people with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
people with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell disease)
people on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection
problems with your spleen, for example splenectomy (having your spleen removed)
adults with Down’s syndrome
adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease (stage 5)
women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired
other people who have also been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs. GPs and hospital clinicians have been provided with guidance to support these decisions

Some people with asthma and COPD etc may not be invited to ‘shield’ How severe it is will depend on your case history, number of doctors and hospital visits etc.

The above information was updated on 19/02/2021. As more is learnt about COVID-19 and different variants this information is subject to change. For more advice and the latest guidance for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 please check here

Other things you can do to stop the infection spreading

Do

get vaccinated as soon as you are invited.
wear a mask / face covering when in shared spaces
stick within your ‘bubbles’
wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
stay 2 to 3 metres (3 steps) away from other people, if you need to go outside
ventilate communal areas.

Don’t

do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth,
don’t spend too long in a shop or public indoor area
don’t remove your mask to talk shout or sing if at all possible

How coronavirus is spread

Because it’s a new illness, we do not know exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person.

Similar viruses are spread in cough droplets.

It’s very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food.

Pregnancy advice

If you’re pregnant and worried about coronavirus, you can get advice about coronavirus and pregnancy from the Royal College of Obstretricians and Gynaecologists.

Treatment for coronavirus

Antibiotics do not help, as they do not work against viruses.

Treatment aims to relieve the symptoms while your body fights the illness.

You’ll need to stay in isolation, away from other people, until you have recovered.

Self-care

There are things you can do to treat mild symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) while you’re staying at home (self-isolating).

If you have a high temperature:

get lots of rest

drink plenty of fluids (water is best) to avoid dehydration – drink enough so your pee is light yellow and clear

take paracetamol or ibuprofen if you feel uncomfortable

If you have a cough:

avoid lying on your back – lie on your side or sit upright instead

try having a teaspoon of honey – but do not give honey to babies under 12 months

If you feel breathless:

keep your room cool by turning the heating down or opening a window – do not use a fan as it may spread the virus

sit upright in a chair and relax your shoulders

try breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth, with your lips together like you’re gently blowing out a candle

Find out more on the NHS Website

Support to Isolate

If you have downloaded the NHS Test and Trace App and are notified to isolate you will be given a case number which you can use to get financial support to isolate.

Find the latest support and guidance here

Get an isolation note to give to your employer

If you live with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus, please book a test (see how above). You can get an isolation note to send to your employer as proof you need to stay off work.

You do not need to get a note from a GP.

Get an isolation note

If you have symptoms of coronavirus and need to stay at home, use the 111 coronavirus service to get an isolation note.

More information

Guidance is subject to change. Please check the following for more information –