World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

Asthma UK have advice and information about Coronavirus and your Asthma.

On their page:

• Shielding advice for very high-risk groups
• Stay at home to stop the spread of coronavirus
• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19
• Make sure you can get what you need
• Manage your asthma well to reduce the risk from coronavirus
• What to do if your asthma is getting worse
• Help if you’re feeling anxious

The coronavirus outbreak is a rapidly developing situation and the most up-to-date information for people in the UK can be found on the NHS website.

Shielding advice for very high-risk groups

The Government has released new guidelines for people who are at higher risk of needing critical care if they catch coronavirus. We strongly recommend you follow this guidance if you are in one of the high-risk groups.

Some people have already been sent a letter and texts from the Government asking them to shield. If you think you are at risk, but haven’t had a letter yet, please wait until after 29th March to ask your GP for a shielding note if you need one. In the meantime, you should stay at home and avoid contact with others.

You can check if you are at high risk or not using the list below. This list is based on guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care, with additional criteria defined by our clinical leads, based on current clinical guidance. It is to be used as a guideline only and we will update it if anything changes. This is a fast-moving situation and we ask that you bear with us and only contact us for support after the deadline of 29th March.

If your GP tells you that you aren’t in the shielding group, but you believe you are, you may feel frustrated because you won’t be eligible for support or time off work if you can’t work from home. You might still be able to get local support from a mutual aid network. We will update this advice if anything changes and we will continue to push for support for people with asthma who need to shield.

If you are, or your child is, taking:

 

• Any biologic therapy, also called a mAb (Xolair/omalizumab, Nucala/mepolizumab, Cinqaero/reslizumab, Fasenra/benralizumab)
• Steroid tablets or liquid every day
• Antibiotic tablets or liquid for asthma every week (e.g. azithromycin)
• Tiotropium
• A combination inhaler that also contains a long-acting bronchodilator (e.g. Seretide, Fostair, Symbicort) at a high daily steroid dose (see the list below)
• An inhaler with a high daily steroid dose (see the list below) AND you are taking Montelukast

 Or, if:

• You have been admitted to hospital for your asthma in the last 12 months
• You have ever been admitted to an intensive care unit for your asthma

Then you should follow the shielding advice, which means:

• Stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact with others for at least 12 weeks.
• Get food, medicines and other essential items delivered, and have the person delivering them leave them at the door. You can ask friends and neighbours to help with this, or use delivery services. If you can’t do this, public services and charities are gearing up to help people who have to stay at home. From Tuesday 24th March you may be able to register for extra services from Government.
• Use phone or online services to contact your GP or other services if needed.
• Inside your home, minimise all non-essential contact with other people you live with.
• People who provide essential support for you, such as healthcare or support with your daily needs or social care, can still come to your home. But if they have symptoms of COVID-19, they should not come. You should make a plan for how your care needs will be met if your carer becomes ill.
• If you get symptoms of COVID-19, which means a fever or a new continuous cough, use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service or call 111 as soon as you get symptoms. Do not wait for your symptoms to get worse.
• If someone else lives with you, they do not have to follow the shielding guidance. They should follow the social distancing guidance very closely and do what they can to support you with shielding.
• There is more information for people who live with you in the government shielding guidance and we would strongly suggest you read it and apply it as much as you can.

 

We know that shielding is hard. But we believe it is the best way to protect people who could become very unwell if they get COVID-19.

 

For more information, go to https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/

Content sourced by Asthma UK