What should I do if I test positive for COVID-19?

You should take a lateral flow test if you have COVID-19 symptoms, even if your symptoms are mild.

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms, please follow the guidelines on the NHS 111 website and temporarily stop taking your Rheumatology medication (see table below), EXCEPT for steroids (Prednisolone), Hydroxychloroquine and Sulfasalazine,until you are fully recovered. This advice applies for any infection.

You may be eligible to receive anti-viral medication against COVID-19

If your test is positive, you must report your result athttps://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result  or by calling 119. Your local health board will contact you to arrange a telephone appointment with a healthcare professional who will decide whether the treatment is suitable for you.

For the anti-viral treatment to be effective it needs to be started within 5 days of having symptoms and you will need to be tested, get your result, be assessed, and start treatment within this time. The sooner you get tested the better.

If you are not contacted within 24 hours of registering your positive test, please call 111, or the Rheumatology advice line on 01432 36 4020, who can make an urgent referral.

If your test is negative but you still have symptoms, you should take another test on each of the next two days (three tests in total over three days).

For further information about who is eligible for treatment and when to contact a healthcare professional please go to:

• For those living in England: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/treatments-for-covid-19/
• For those living in Wales: https://gov.wales/covid-19-treatments.

Rheumatology immunosuppressive medication:

Please note that some of these treatments have multiple brand names.