Medicines for COVID-19

For most people, no specific medicine is needed — the illness is managed with rest, fluids and simple pain-and-fever relief such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease aches, headache, sore throat and a high temperature. Antibiotics do not work against the virus and are not used unless a separate bacterial infection develops. Specific antiviral treatments do exist, but they are reserved for people at higher risk of becoming seriously ill — such as those who are immunosuppressed or have certain conditions — and are arranged through a clinical assessment, ideally early in the illness. Vaccination remains the most important way to reduce the risk of severe disease.

Antiviral and other targeted treatments are not given to everyone. They are intended for people at higher risk of severe illness — for example those with a weakened immune system or particular underlying conditions — to reduce the chance of being hospitalised. Because they work best when started early in the infection, eligible people are assessed quickly after testing positive. If you are in a higher-risk group, it is worth knowing in advance whether you might qualify, so you can act promptly if you become unwell. For most healthy people, antivirals are not needed and recovery happens with simple home care.

Long COVID is the term for symptoms that carry on for weeks or months after the initial infection has cleared. Common features include persistent fatigue, breathlessness, difficulty concentrating or remembering (sometimes called "brain fog"), muscle aches, and disturbed sleep. It can affect people who had only a mild illness to begin with, and symptoms may come and go. There is no single cure; care focuses on assessment, support, pacing of activity and gradual rehabilitation tailored to the symptoms that persist. If symptoms are still troubling you several weeks after a COVID-19 infection, it is worth seeking advice so a plan can be put in place.

Yes. Vaccination does not always stop you catching the virus, but it substantially reduces the risk of severe illness, hospital admission and death, particularly in older people and those at higher risk. Protection can fade over time and as the virus changes, which is why booster doses are offered to those most likely to benefit. Staying up to date with the doses recommended for you is one of the most effective things you can do to protect yourself, and it also reduces the chance of passing serious illness on to vulnerable people around you. If you are unsure whether you are due a dose, ask your GP or pharmacist.