How long does it last? And am I likely to get it? Marie Claire's Dr Zoe Williams gives you the facts on COVID-19 in the UK
Let’s start with some positive news first, for the vast majority of people who get Covid-19, this will be a mild disease with symptoms that last approximately a week. Most of us will be able to stay at home until we recover and we will not require medical assistance.
And as I’m writing this, to date in the UK, we have seen 26,261 people tested, of which 25,888 have been confirmed negative and 382 tested positive. Unfortunately six people, who tested positive for COVID-19, have died. The serious and life-threatening complications are predominantly seen in the elderly and those with pre-existing health problems. These are the ones we should be concerned about. Serious symptoms tend to occur at around day seven of the illness, these will be breathing difficulties and can also be pneumonia-like. This is when hospital provisions are available to provide care to those who need it.
Why has coronavirus escalated in the UK?
Until last week all the UK’s confirmed cases of Covid-19 were known who/where/how they contracted the virus (mostly via links to Italy) but now there are a small number of cases in which there is no clear transmission route, in other words, experts don’t know how these people have contracted the virus. Scientists have now declared it highly likely that ‘community transmission’ is taking hold. This means the efforts taken to ‘contain’ the virus are highly likely to be failing, as the virus is now spreading without clear links to where it came from and without the ability to trace close contacts of confirmed cases.
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Since this point was reached our government have been maintaining ‘contain’ measures, which is a way of minimising and delaying the spread of coronavirus. Because we have reached this stage, it’s now a given that a significant proportion of the population will succumb to the virus at some point over the coming months. And over the next few weeks we will likely see a shift towards further attempts to ‘delay’ the spread of the virus.
If many of us are going to get it anyway, why delay the inevitable?
Delaying the peak incidence of the virus is beneficial for a number of reasons. Attempting to delay the main peak of incidence into the summer months, when we will be out of the cold/flu winter season, will free up NHS resources. The longer the delay the more we can benefit from the intensive research that is ongoing into the virus, especially around how best to treat those who do suffer complications. We are unlikely to have a vaccine for Covid-19 until next year.
Should we be self-isolating right now?
At some point self-isolation measures may be put in place for everyone, this is termed a ‘lock-down’ but we are nowhere near that currently. Long before reaching that stage, if we ever do, we are likely to see gradual delay measures, such as cancelling large group gatherings, closure of schools, public travel advice and asking those who can to work from home.
The timing of these measures is extremely important. If they are brought in too early then they are not effective and people lose willingness to follow advice. As frustrating as it may be, the UK’s best scientists for the job are working on this, and the timing of isolation measures will be decided by them along with the government. It makes total sense to put our trust in them.
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So, what’s the current advice
1. DO NOT BE ALARMED: go about your normal daily business while we remain in the ‘contain’ phase, But also be aware that an epidemic is likely and this advice will change accordingly.
2. LOOK OUT FOR THE VULNERABLE: if we enter a ‘sustained community transmission’ phase. This means the plan of action could change towards isolating those who are at risk of complications, to protect them, rather than isolating those just with coronavirus.
3. AVOID TRAVEL TO A VIRUS HOTSPOT: check the travel advice available on gov.uk. There are category 1 and 2 countries and areas which may put you at risk of quarantine and infection. If you do have to travel abroad please consider whether the rates of virus are higher than the UK, and will their healthcare system look after you as well as the NHS if you were to get unwell. Check you are covered for all eventualities by your travel insurance.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS: as frequently as possible or 20 seconds and try to remember to touch your face less. This is genuinely the best way to protect yourself and others from transmitting the virus.
What to do if you think you have coronavirus:
NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that will explain if you need medical help and advise you what to do.
Contact this service if:
* In the last 14 days you’ve been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus
* You’ve been in close contact with someone with coronavirus
Do not go to your GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. It’s advised to use the online service but call 111 if you absolutely need to speak to someone.
Advice is changing daily regarding this virus. I’m sure you will have lots of additional questions – so please ask these in today’s coronavirus Instastory and I will do my best to answer.
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