Hi all. Has anyone had treatment for Covid recently (since guidelines changed and you don’t automatically get referred). I am Covid positive and really struggling with symptoms. Have recently had treatment for a PE.
The called 111 to arrange Covid treatment and they are sending a non urgent ambulance. Is this usual?
I'm not aware things have changed but I had COVID April 2022. I did get antiviral tablets but they had to be taken in the first 5 days from the outset . Anyway it sounds that you are going to be checked so go with it.
I received an email in June, a a ting that we should contact the gp/111 service. Here’s what I received
“If you get COVID from Tuesday 27 June 2023
You will no longer be automatically contacted by the NHS about treatments after reporting a positive COVID test result.
You should instead contact your GP practice, NHS 111 or hospital specialist as soon as possible after you test positive so that they can consider referring you for an assessment for treatment.”
Haven’t heard of ambulances being sent. I do know a number of people who were told unless they were having breathing difficulties, they wouldn’t get the antivirals. So I guess the ambulance service will be coming to assess how much you’re struggling with it.
I’ve tested positive this morning and antivirals are being arranged via 111z. I declined the ‘triage’ assessment offered over the phone as my symptoms are relatively mild for now. Clearly something in your symptoms has triggered a more serious response, probably the PE. Hope you’re feeling much better very soon x
They sent an non urgent ambulance out to me when I rang 111. To my astonishment, they did an ECG, temp. check etyc. then asked me if I "wanted" to go to hospital. I said no, only asking about anti virals and they said they knew nothing about that and left!!!!
Sorry your explanation made me laugh. Covid is going around currently. Partner just had it he was shocked thatvhe was POS after i said needed to test and I can hear and see people coughing out and about. Course no mention of covid or testing for most people these days.
what was the outcome for you? I Hope your symptoms are improving. I’m ‘in the system’ and received a callback from a local ‘virtual treatment ward’ taking lots of information and saying I’d be called back. The callback didn’t happen yesterday and now I’m feeling much more unwell so I’m going to call the local number they gave me today. Best of luck getting sorted out
I tested positive in October on a Friday. I phoned my doctor’s surgery who arranged for the duty GP to phone me back within 3 hours. The duty GP asked about my situation and said he’d contact the Covid team at the local hospital. 20 minutes later a very helpful doctor phoned me. She asked lots of questions and then prescribed Paxlovid which I could get someone to collect from a local pharmacy of my choice, but said that it had to be started within 5 days. She would send the prescription electronically but advised me to phone the pharmacy in 30 minutes to check if they had the drug or if it had to be ordered, in which case it be the following day before it would be ready. She gave me the direct line number for the Covid team at the hospital in case I needed more support.
M chose my local Boots, phoned them as instructed and luckily they not only had the prescription but also the drug in stock.. My husband collected it from them 10 minutes later.
I took the full course and was better within 5 days. When I had Covid in 2021, before the drugs were available, I suffered much more for about 4 weeks, but fortunately I was never in need of hospital treatment.
About 3 weeks after my Covid experience I received a call from a nurse in the hospital Covid team to check I was doing ok. She gave me a different number to call if I ever got Covid again, so that I could bypass my GP. I was extremely impressed by an absolutely fantastic service from our NHS from my initial phone call right through to this follow up call.
I hope you get the treatment quickly and it works for you. Good luck 🤞
thank you for your reply. I will follow things up this morning. I’ve had covid twice before, and wasn’t aware of access to antivirals then. I had a letter June 2023 advising that I can access antivirals. The call back yesterday didn’t seem to be a doctor, more of an admin call I think and he told me they were very busy, hence I might not get a call back that day. I wasn’t too bothered yesterday as symptoms very mild, but today I’m more unwell.
I initially contacted my Rheumatology the helpline nurses. They came back and said it is now either 111 or my GP.
In fact it is the GP now that deals with this matter. So he referred me to CMDU. I needed to insist as he initially sent me to 111, then 111 sent me back to him along with a silly assessment they needed to do which in fact was absolutely irrelevant. Anyway. ...
The CMDU phoned me, done an assessment and I had the Paxlovid prescribed. NGH pharmacy made it available in a matter of 3 hours.
I took the treatment and became negative in 2 days! Indeed it reduces the symptoms 80-90% at least with me this was the case.
Hope this helps you!
I wish you a speedy recovery 🙏 ❤️
I'm in Scotland and different arrangements apply.I had a letter this week which confirms that I'm on the "vulnerable" list. It gave details of a new website to use to request free lateral flow tests and the number at the local health board to contact if I test positive.
I caught COVID last year, called the hotline number and was prescribed Paxlovid which my sister collected from a local pharmacy. At that time only one pharmacy was dealing with it.
There has always been treatment for covid... Long before the jabs.
It is worth remembering that NHS 111 is not a national system, it is run locally by your ICB (integrated care board). Depending on the company that runs your local system and what algorithms they use, sometimes by default they send an ambulance out. It is to do with risk. If they think there is a risk then because they are risk adverse they will send an ambulance. In my area they are trying to stop this happening.
In a meeting with various NHS bods where we were discussing the lack of risk taking, it was pointed out that many doctors and other people in the NHS do really risky things, like going skiing in the alps, but when it comes to their daily work they treat risk in a very different light and over react!
My son in law received a text from the NHS saying if he tested positive for Covid to contact his GP and they would send an electronic prescription to his pharmacy for him to pick up. No phoning 111 and the treatments were all being done by GP with a phone call much better than having to go to a CMDU unit to collect. He’s on biologics. Totally get why they’re sending a non urgent ambulance out to check you out though probably because of you PE nice for you to have the extra care and relevant I have heard of this happening before. I was offered it last year but I didn’t feel the need. I did have to travel 10 miles to the hospital for Paxlovid though so it’s MUCH better now. My husband was positive at the same time so 20 miles round trip when poorly wasn’t ideal.
Thank you all for your advice and supportive comments.
The paramedics were great. Usually, they would have taken me to hospital as they strongly believe I have pneumonia. However, the local hospital is at capacity and they didn’t think sitting in an ambulance for hours waiting to be seen would do me any favours. So they got me a course of antibiotics and also arranged antivirals which are being delivered tonight.
Feeling very tired and drained today, but much less anxious than yesterday. This year has been the worst in my life for health. Here’s hoping 2024 will be better xxx
Are you feeling a bit better now? Glad you were seen and received the meds you clearly needed. My dad had pneumonia last Christmas, with ambulance sent out Christmas Day, and it was scary, but the antibiotics did sort him right out . He had a follow up chest X-ray a few weeks later. I’m 4 doses in to paxlovid now and my fever has gone, so very pleased about that! Get well soon!
You’re so sweet for asking. I am feeling much better, my only concern is tiredness and coughing at night. I think that’s possibly asthma now. I’m glad you are feeling better. Do you have a weird taste in your mouth from Paxlovid? I feel like I’ve swallowed nail polish remover xx
When I recently had Covid I rang 111, received a call back from a doctor and then a pharmacist to discuss treatment. About an hour later the IV at home team came to my house and started me on antivirals via an IV. They also gave me a pulsoxometer to check my O2 and a received I phone call every day to see how I was getting on.
Anti-viral treatment for Covid-19 - not received a letter
Message from Rhuematology, COVID-19 treatment, for Portsmouth area.
Covid and AV treatment for clinically vulnerable 
Covid
Treatment or no treatment?
