Email New Anti viral guidelines

[ks1966]

Hello everyone.

I received an email yesterday staying that I should now contact my GP and 111 in the case of a Covid infection.

Did anyone else receive this email? Thoughts please.

Thank you

[Boxerlady]

Yes, I got it too.

[Annscottie in reply to Boxerlady]

I did too. Don't know how well the system worked previously so can't really comment on new procedure.

[TheBoys]

Hi

Yes - I got it too.

[Lolabridge]

I haven't received it yet but hope I will soon. Let's hope the new system works!!

[3LittleBirds2]

Hi, I haven't got the email. But I thought this was what we had to do anyway? Please excuse my ignorance if not, I've recently had Covid for the first time and GP sorted everything.

[ks1966 in reply to 3LittleBirds2]

hi. I think it’s more or less the same. Did you manage to get any anti viral medications?

[3LittleBirds2 in reply to ks1966]

Yes, I did. My GP did the referral and I had a call pretty much straight away, she explained that Covid is now more upper respiratory and with the vaccines etc, but she said to take it within 5 days if I felt I needed it. In the end I didn't take it , as an infection I had at the same time was affecting me more, in hindsight I should have taken it though as I became quite poorly but it was too late to take it. Hopefully I won't catch it again but would take them if needed.

[Neonkittie17]

I’ve nearly fallen off the sofa as I’ve just seen my email. I’ve been missed off a lot of things and have had to chase. I did ask a GP to ensure I was correctly coded when I spoke to him a month ago and end of April my rheumy said I was still down for AV’s on her records.

It’s worth an ask to your doc/rheumy though if you don’t hear anything from the NHS re the AV’s new procedure as to if you’ve been correctly coded as a higher risk patient on your GP/consultant records.

[Paula-C]

I've just answered a similar post Yes I had it, also had COVID last April, on mtx and enbrel but told I don't qualify for antivirals anymore (no other health conditions and not on steroids), data now shows that I am not at anymore risk than anyone else.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Paula-C]

Hi Paula, sounds like you’re doing steady. 🙏🏻 I also believe it depends on other health conditions/comorbidities and if your RA is active. I do know the thinking was anti TNFs don’t pose as much of a threat to your immunity as first thought. It also says “consultant discretion” re eligibility for AVs. That’s always got to be the main reasoning I feel. Not everyone fits the routine criteria. Was this told to you by your rheumy as sometimes the GPS have given this kind of advice to people on combo therapy and haven’t been fully in the know on this? (No disrespect whatsoever to GPS.) If you became really unwell with the virus the GP/consultant would make the re recommendation to have them anyhow or go for the Sotrovimab infusion If you can’t have the oral ones. You’d end up being treated regardless if you got a letter or had been told you won’t get the AVs. Well, we’d hope so. 🙏🏻

[Paula-C in reply to Neonkittie17]

I still think that being on anti tnfs help if we get covid, I did post on here way back in March 2020 when I read that severe cases of covid was because there had been a cytokine storm in a person body causing a lot of inflammation, anti tnfs stop this immune response from happening. They have used 2 RA drugs that I know of to treat patients with covid.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Paula-C]

Yes I heard that too. Maybe it’s changed since 2020 so they aren’t used as Covid treatment, I don’t I know re anti tnf’s. NICE were recommending Baricitinib a few months ago. Trouble is you may not be able to even have a one off dose of another RA biologic med as Covid treatment if you’re on another big gun biologic.

[Paula-C in reply to Neonkittie17]

I didn't read anywhere in March 2020 about RA drugs helping if you caught covid it was what i thought at the time and it seems I was right. I then read months later that some medical professionals had called for it to be used to treat covid patients. Yes we can't be treated with another RA biologic drug if already on one, but if your already on one I thought theres a possibility that it would stop covid becoming severe. Anti tnfs work in different ways but the end results are the same, stopping inflammation in our bodies.

imperial.nhs.uk/-/media/web...

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Paula-C]

My rheumy biologics nurse and I talked early March 2020 once people started to query re meds and Covid, about calming down a cytokine storm and how anti -inflammatory RA meds may help. (Also I said I felt Rtx would affect any vaccines they made, as it did for my pneumonia and flu ones and she agreed totally.) Tociliz is the biologic NICE were intending to recommend a few months ago (previous to that they were talking of Baricitinib.) Yes. the anti inflammatory process of some of our RA meds made good sense they’d have a positive effect on people to calm down inflammation re the virus. 🤞🏻

[Jackie1947]

From 27th June according to a NHS email I received

[Kati66]

Yes, I received this email too. I haven’t yet caught Covid at all so it does worry me a bit.

[Connie49]

Yes, I got one, too. The difference seems to be that, previously, if they had received a positive test from you, the NHS would then be in touch re antivirals, but now you have to self-refer to either your GP, 111 or your Consultant. This seems to me to be a less supportive action on the part of the NHS/Government.

[15pixel55]

Yes I did too

[Gymcactus]

I got email too, Ive had covid last December after 6 vaccines so have decided not to have the latest one on offer, but will have the autumn vaccine if offered with flu one. Just been on holiday to Italy and all was back to normal, airports very busy, no restrictions anywhere, we have to enjoy life as much as we can now.

[MaryTH]

Yes I received it yesterday. I had an infusion last year when I had Covid. That happened very quickly x

[Poshcards]

Yes, had mine today, pointless contacting my GP as receptionists will say 'nothing to do with them'!