Antiviral services across Wales
– Information for Members of the Public
The supply of treatments for COVID-19 for the most vulnerable individuals across Wales who have not been admitted to hospital is being co-ordinated by NHS 111 Wales. You can access the Self-Referral Portal here.
Healthcare professionals can access further information via the healthcare professionals site.
COVID-19 treatment for people in the community
Treatment for COVID-19 is available for people who are not in hospital but who are considered at highest risk of becoming severely ill and being admitted to hospital. It is recommended that these treatments are started within 5 days of your symptoms starting to be of most benefit.
In Wales, supply of these treatments is via the Local Health Board where you live.
You can access the Self-Referral Portal here if you believe you are eligible for antiviral treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 and you are a Welsh resident.
Extended use of antivirals beyond labelled expiry dates
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and pharmaceutical company Pfizer have extended the shelf life of specified batches of Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir 150mg and ritonavir 100mg) film-coated tablets.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and pharmaceutical company MSD have extended the shelf life of specified batches of Lagevrio® (molnupiravir) 200mg hard capsules.
Some expiry dates have been extended following assessment by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The list of specified batches can be found on the GOV.UK website:
Who is eligible to receive these treatments?
Treatment for COVID-19 is available for individuals who are not in hospital but who are considered at highest risk of becoming severely ill and being admitted to hospital. This will include some people, but not everyone who was advised to shield during the pandemic. Some people who were previously shielding now have a much lower risk of severe disease following COVID-19 vaccination.
High-risk individuals will usually be contacted within 24 hours of a positive PCR test or Lateral Flow Test (LFT) that has been reported at https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result. If the results are reported at a weekend or over a bank holiday, individuals will be contacted on the next working day (usually a Monday morning).
The highest risk group includes people who have:
- Down’s syndrome
- certain types of cancer
- had certain types of chemotherapy in the last 12 months
- had radiotherapy in the last 12 months
- had a haematological stem cell transplant (HSCT)
- sickle cell disease
- certain non-cancer related blood diseases
- chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4 or 5 or kidney transplant
- a severe liver condition (such as cirrhosis or liver transplant)
- had an organ transplant
- certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease)
- conditions that affect breathing (including those with asthma who have taken medicines that makes them more likely to get infections, or COPD)
- a condition or treatment that makes you more likely to get infections
- HIV or AIDS
- certain conditions affecting the brain or nerves (including motor neurone disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease)
Information about how you can be assessed for treatment can be found below.
What treatments are there for COVID-19?
Three options are currently available in Wales for citizens who have not been admitted to hospital:
- Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®)
- Sotrovimab (Xevudy®)
- Molnupiravir (Lagevrio®)
The choice of which treatment may be best for you will be influenced by factors such as what medical conditions you have and what medicines you currently take. You can discuss these options and which would be best for you when contacted by a member of the team.
For more information:
- Video on the treatments, produced by Swansea Bay University Health Board – in Welsh or English
- COVID-19 treatments for people in the community – patient information leaflet (Welsh translation available soon)
- Molnupiravir – bilingual pregnancy and side effects patient information leaflet
How will I be contacted?
Your positive COVID-19 test result (PCR or self-reported LFT) will be flagged to your Local Health Board within 24 hours of reporting.
If you have provided a mobile or landline number when registering your result, you will receive a phone call from a member of the team.
How will I get treatment?
If the most appropriate for you is an antiviral medicine, you will be asked to collect it (or send someone to collect it on your behalf). The person you speak to will tell you where you need to collect it from.
If an antiviral medicine isn’t the most suitable choice for you but you need treatment, your Health Board will arrange treatment with sotrovimab (Xevudy®). Sotrovimab is given by injection so is usually given at a hospital, but may be given at home in some cases. The person you speak to will tell you about the options that are available in your Health Board.
25 May 23
Updated to reflect new service provision across the Health Boards rather than a single national service.
22 Dec 22
Expiry date extension information added.
21 Nov 22
Self-referral form link added.
29 Jul 22
Service alert removed.
07 Jul 22
Service update alert.
06 Apr 22
Published.
