COVID-19 Health Information and Guidance

On Monday 4^th January, Scottish Government announced that the majority of Scotland would go into lockdown the next day, with a new legal requirement forbidding anyone from leaving their home except for essential purposes. This is in light of the rising number of COVID-19 numbers and increasing pressure on NHS Scotland health boards.

Lockdown will be in place across mainland Scotland until Monday 1^st February, and may be extended further. People should not leave their homes except for essential reasons (which include providing care, outdoor exercise and to go to work, but only if that work cannot be done from home).

On Monday 2^nd November 2020, Scottish Government launched the new 5 local protection levels, or “Tiers”, and a postcode checker to help people find the current restrictions in their area. These protection levels replace all previous restrictions and guidelines, with 0 being the lowest level of restriction (“as close as we can get to normality without a vaccine or treatment”), and Tier 4 the strictest.

On Tuesday 17^th November 2020, guidance prohibiting travel into or out of Level 3 and 4 local authority areas (except for essential reasons) became law. Under this law, people living in Falkirk must not travel outwith the local area.  (Exceptions include: travelling to or from work, or to provide voluntary or charitable services, but only where that cannot be done from your home; travel to school; travel for essential shopping, for yourself or on behalf of a vulnerable person.)

Stay up to date with all COVID-19 restrictions via:

• Scottish Government’s COVID-19 page, protection levels page, Twitter and Facebook
• NHS Inform Scotland’s COVID-19 page

The NHS Inform Scotland site has a range of information around COVID-19, and is the main resource on the virus in Scotland.

The site includes information on symptoms, social distancing, how to treat symptoms in adults and children, along with a series of mental wellbeing resources – such as guides on coping with depression, anxiety and financial worries during this time – and resources for travellers, parents and employers.

British Sign Language (BSL) translations and Easy Read versions of the advice are also available.

To access the full series of information and resources, please visit the NHS Inform Scotland website.

Health Protection Scotland and NHS National Services Scotland have released a series of guidance documents, including for use in non-healthcare settings.

The documents are available to view or download on the Health Protection Scotland website, and will be updated as and when required depending on the situation.

Guidance is also available for those travelling, educational facilities and the general public, amongst others, on the main COVID-19 page, which includes background on the virus and travel advice.

For further information, please visit the Health Protection Scotland website.

Scottish Government has published its own COVID-19 information page, listing its most up to date guidance and instructions, the most common COVID-19 symptoms, and Scottish test numbers, along with a range of other information. Test numbers are updated daily at 2pm, with the rest of the page being updated regularly.

Common symptoms include:

• high temperature or fever
• a new persistent (continuous) cough
• loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste

A free helpline can give advice if you do not have symptoms, but are looking for general advice, by phone: 0800 028 2816.

For the full range of information available, please visit the Scottish Government’s dedicated COVID-19 page.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is providing rolling, constant updates on the COVID-19 pandemic on their website.

Their homepage also features a series of advice for the public, health workers, and information on cyber security.

For further information, please visit the WHO COVID-19 page.

Doctors of the World has released translations of COVID-19 guidance for patients in over 40 languages, produced in partnership with the British Red Cross, Migrant Help and Clear Voice.

The guidance is based on the NHS and UK Government’s latest advice and health information. Doctors of the World is keen for these translations to reach migrant and asylum-seeking communities across the UK.

Languages currently available include Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese, amongst others.

To view or download any of the guidance documents, please visit the Doctors of the World website.

British Sign Language (BSL) translations and Easy Read versions of NHS Inform Scotland’s advice are also available.

MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project) Carers Centre has produced the Test and Protect process video in three other languages:

• Cantonese
• Arabic
• Urdu

Diabetes UK has released guidance from Scottish Government around COVID-19 for those with diabetes.

The guidance covers how COVID-19 may affect people with diabetes, support resources (including around shielding, and mental health), and additional steps people can take to ensure they remain well.

Should people need to call the health services for any reason, whether they are suffering from worsened diabetes symptoms or from COVID-19, the guidance stresses that they should tell the call-taker about their diabetes.

Although the main target of COVID-19 is the lungs, some people with diabetes are more at risk of becoming ill if they contract the COVID-19 infection. If you have COVID-19, then like most infections, this may cause your body to mount a stress response to fight the infection. This in turn may cause your diabetes to become unstable and your sugars are likely to run high.

Key points include:

• If you routinely check your blood sugar at home, you should do it more often. If you have type 1 diabetes, you should check your blood sugar at least every four hours including during the night.
• You should also check your ketones if your blood sugar level is high (generally 15mmol/l or more, however you may have specific individual guidance) or if you feel unwell. If ketones are present, follow your “sick day” rule guidance and if necessary contact your diabetes team or out of hours services.
• If you don’t check your blood sugar levels at home, please be aware of the signs of a hyper (hyperglycaemia). Signs can include passing more urine than normal (especially at night), being very thirsty, headaches, tiredness and lethargy. You should seek help if you have hyper symptoms.

For further information, please view or download the Scottish Government diabetes guidance.

Alternatively, visit the Diabetes UK website.

Asthma UK has provided online guidance around COVID-19 for people with asthma, including how to reduce the risk of catching the virus, who should shield, and what to do if you do develop COVID-19 symptoms. Their main COVID-19 page is being updated regularly.

Their helpline is open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm, where people can speak to an asthma expert nurse: 0300 222 5800.

The guidance also provides information on how to manage your asthma well to reduce the risk from COVID-19:

“When people with asthma get respiratory infections, it can set off their asthma symptoms.

The best action you can take is to follow these simple asthma management steps:

• Keep taking your preventer inhaler daily as prescribed. This will help cut your risk of an asthma attack being triggered by any respiratory virus, including COVID-19.
• Carry your reliever inhaler (usually blue) with you every day, in case you feel your asthma symptoms flaring up.
• Download and use an asthma action plan to help you recognise and manage asthma symptoms when they come on.
• Start a peak flow diary, if you have a peak flow meter. If you don’t have a peak flow meter, think about getting one from your GP or pharmacist, as it can be a good way of tracking your asthma and helping to tell the difference between asthma symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms. It can also help your medical team to assess you over the phone or video.
• If you come down with flu, a cold, or any other respiratory infection, follow our tips for looking after your asthma when you’re not well.
• If you smoke it’s vital to quit now as smoking will increase your risk from COVID-19. There’s NHS advice on how to give up smoking available online.”

Asthma UK also notes that people should still be receiving their usual asthma care at this time, but some elements might look slightly different. Asthma medicines should be ordered as normal; people shouldn’t try to stockpile your medicines or order more than they need.

They have received reports that some people are finding it difficult to get hold of certain asthma medicines, and advise that, if your pharmacist doesn’t have your usual medicines, they will try to give you an alternative. If they can’t, you can call around other pharmacies to see if they have your medicine, or an equivalent, in stock. Alternatively, go back to your GP to see if they can prescribe something else.

They have also produced an infographic highlighting the difference between COVID-19 symptoms and symptoms of asthma, hay fever (a common asthma trigger), and colds and flu.

In addition, Asthma UK also has a HealthUnlocked Community Forum page, providing a community space for members to chat with each other, share helpful tips and write about their experiences.

For further information, please visit the Asthma UK website.

In addition to their guidance on returning to work, Scottish Government has also produced a poster (available to view or download as a pdf or jpeg), which can be displayed in workplaces, with key information in plain language on the spread of COVID-19 and how to minimise this. There is also simplistic and instructive graphics.

To view or download the poster, or share it online, please click on the links below:

• pdf:  “COVID-19 in the Workplace – Protecting Yourself and Others”
• jpeg:  “COVID-19 in the Workplace – Protecting Yourself and Others”