The NHS has released new official guidelines for severe asthma sufferers amid coronavirus.
The guideline was published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ( NICE ), which provides guidelines to the NHS.
NICE explained: “The purpose of this guideline is to maximise the safety of adults and children with severe asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic, while protecting staff from infection. It will also enable services to make the best use of NHS resources.”
The guideline on severe asthma advises that people should continue to take their treatment as prescribed.
NICE also advises that asthma patients should attend any essential appointments alone, to minimise the risk of infection.
Meanwhile, the guideline also provides recommendations around equipment people may use to treat their asthma.
NICE said: “The guideline recommends that patients should be advised to regularly clean equipment such as face masks and mouth pieces, and that they should not share their inhalers and devices with anyone else.”
The new guidelines come shortly after Asthma UK set out a series of helpful advice for sufferers concerned about the coronavirus.
The London based charity advises that anyone who has asthma and the symptoms of Covid-19 - a new continuous cough and a fever - should do the following:
- Stay in your home for seven days if you live on your own, or 14 days if you live with others. Everyone in your household will need to stay in the house for 14 days.
- You don't need to contact 111 to tell them you are staying at home.
- If your COVID-19 symptoms don’t go away after 7 days, or get worse, or you are having difficulty breathing, call 111 for advice, or 999 if you need emergency care. Tell them that you have asthma, and if your asthma symptoms are getting worse.
- If you get an asthma cough and are not sure whether your cough is a symptom of COVID-19 or related to your asthma, speak to your GP, use the online 111 service or call 111 to ensure that you get the right care.
- Keep following your asthma action plan to manage your asthma and so you know what to do if your asthma symptoms get worse.
- If you are having an asthma attack, call 999 for an ambulance as usual, and tell them you have COVID-19 symptoms.
- Carry on taking all your usual asthma medicines as normal.
