COVID-19 has consumed so much of the world's attention and has been very challenging times for pharmacy teams working through the pandemic. In addition, the winter is particularly challenging and there is uncertainty over how the pressures of other winter illnesses will interact with the impact of COVID-19.

The main symptoms are¹:

• a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature).
• a new, continuous cough –  coughing a lot for more than an hour, or having 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours  (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – noticing you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will protect a person and the people around them from illness. 

You can read our Counter Excellence module on Coronavirus if you wish to read further information. 

As the pandemic continues and the information changes frequently, ensure you keep up with the latest guidance from the World Health Organisation & GOV.UK. 

^{1 NHS.UK}