Covid symptoms: What are they and how do I protect myself? (original) (raw)

Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalisation or death from Covid.

If you are seriously unwell and you have a medical emergency you should call 999 - this includes feeling so breathless that you can't speak more than a few words.

If you're worried your symptoms are getting worse, use the NHS 111 website, external England, NHS Inform, external in Scotland or the equivalents in Wales, external and Northern Ireland, external.

The main reason people need hospital care is for difficulty breathing where they may be given oxygen.

The most seriously ill patients may require ventilation - where patients are sedated and air is pushed into their lungs.

Older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure), are more likely to become severely ill. Men are at slightly higher risk of dying from the virus than women.