This week we wrote to our patients with urgent coronavirus health advice because there has been little or no reporting of “red flags”. Ie. When you need to immediately dial 999. Here they are:

Breathlessness - are you finding it hard to finish a sentence at rest?

Breathing hard and fast

Blue lips

Audible wheezing

Being too ill to do usual daily activities unaided

Significant change for the worst

When you call 999 you will go through triage so do not put yourself second or worry about being a burden. You will be advised on next steps and if an ambulance will come for you. If you are very unwell and/or experience any of the above, dial 999.

At home, we recommend keeping a simple O2 saturation finger device. If this is consistently below 95% for more than a day seek further medical advice. Remove finger nail polish to use this more accurately.