Antiviral services across Wales – Information for Members of the Public

Treatment for COVID-19 is available for people who are considered at highest risk of becoming severely ill. It is recommended that these treatments are started within 5 days of your symptoms starting to be of most benefit.

COVID-19 Antiviral Self-Referral Form - if you believe you are eligible for antiviral treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 and you are a Welsh resident.

As of 13 June 2024, the NHS will expand access to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®) to adults who do not need oxygen therapy for COVID‑19 and who:

• are aged 85 years and over
• have end-stage heart failure and have a long-term ventricular assistance device (a mechanical device that helps the heart pump blood)
• are on the organ transplant waiting list
• are aged 70 years and over, or who have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m² or more, diabetes or heart failure, and who are:
  • resident in a care home or
  • already in hospital.

There has been no change to the eligibility for Sotrovimab (Xevudy).

Treatment for COVID-19 is available for individuals who are considered at highest risk of becoming severely ill. 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.) 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:

• All people aged 70 and over who live in a care home
• 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.

Two options are currently available in Wales for citizens who have not been admitted to hospital:

• Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®)
• Sotrovimab (Xevudy®)

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)

Your positive COVID-19 test result are no longer automatically flagged to the anti-viral team.

If you believe you are eligible for anti-viral treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 (either by PCR or Lateral Flow Device Test), please complete the COVID-19 Anti-viral Self-Referral Form, or contact NHS 111 Wales.

When completing the self-referral form please provide a mobile or landline number, and a member of the anti-viral team will contact you to discuss your options. If you miss a call, we will endeavour to leave a voicemail if able to do so.

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, we will arrange treatment with sotrovimab (Xevudy®). Sotrovimab is given by injection and in most cases can be given at home.  The person you speak to will tell you about the options that are available.