Question: What should I do if someone I take care of is showing COVID-19 symptoms?

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Guidance for those who provide unpaid care to friends or family
section_headers: If you or the person you care for has symptoms
If the person you care for has symptoms
section_content: The person you care for has symptoms, and you are not in a clinically
‘vulnerable group’ or clinically ‘extremely vulnerable group’ with increased
risk of severe illness
If someone in your household has symptoms you should follow the Stay at home
guidance which states that if you live alone and you have symptoms of
COVID-19, however mild, you should stay at home for 7 days from when your
symptoms started or until you are better, whichever is the longer.
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have
symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, or until your
symptoms have gone, but all other household members who remain well must stay
at home and not leave the house for 14 days.
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house
became ill. For anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms,
they need to stay at home for 7 days from when their symptoms appeared – or
until their symptoms have gone, whichever is the longer – regardless of what
day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.
However, we appreciate following the Stay at Home guidance may not be easy to
achieve where you provide close contact care, such as washing and bathing, for
a spouse or relative.
If you do not fall into the clinically ‘vulnerable group’ or the clinically
‘extremely vulnerable group’ you can continue to provide care. You should
review the above guidelines to take measures to protect yourself and others in
the household as best you can by following advice on hygiene and distancing
where possible.
Information on cleaning and hygiene when caring for someone with symptoms
The Stay at home
guidance provides information on washing your hands, cleaning and disposing
of waste, and cleaning laundry, as well as other information for those living
with a vulnerable person.
The person you care for has symptoms and you are in a clinically
‘vulnerable group’ (see above)
If someone in your household has symptoms you should follow the Stay at home
guidance which states that if you live alone and you have symptoms of
COVID-19, however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms
started.
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have
symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other
household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house
for 14 days.
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house
became ill. For anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms,
they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared,
regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.
You should also review the Guidance on social distancing for everyone in the
UK and protecting older people and vulnerable
adults for information about those people who
are considered at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus
(COVID-19). If you are within this group, you should be particularly stringent
in following social distancing measures set out in the guidance.
However, we appreciate this may not be easy to achieve where you provide close
contact care for a spouse or relative such as washing and bathing.
Where possible ask friends and family who can support you in providing care.
You should distance yourself from the person you care for as much as possible
and follow the above guidance.
You can find out about local carer organisations at Carers
UK or
through your local authority.
The person you care for has symptoms and you are in a clinically
‘extremely vulnerable group’ (see above)
As per the guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable
groups, you should
strictly avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Where possible, ask friends and family who can support you in providing care
for their help. You should distance yourself from the person you care for as
much as possible and follow the above guidance.
If you cannot organise alternative care you can contact your local
authority or health care
provider. If you do not know how to do
this you can contact NHS 111. It may also be helpful to contact your local
carers support organisation. You can find out about local carer organisations
at Carers UK.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has detailed information about what to do if someone in your family starts showing COVID-19 symptoms.
This provides great detail on what to do if someone you’re caring for exhibits symptoms.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults
section_headers: Protecting yourself and the person you care for
If the person you care for has symptoms of COVID-19
section_content: If the person being cared for has symptoms or is part of a household that is
isolating, you must follow the advice set out in the stay at home
guidance and the Guidance for those who provide unpaid care to friends or
family.
If you do not live in the same home as the person you care for, you should
provide information on who the person should call if they feel unwell, how to
use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service and
leave the number for NHS 111 prominently displayed.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has brief advice and links to detailing guidance about caring for someone with COVID-19.
This provides links to the answers of what to do for some e you’re caring for but doesn’t provide details.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Acceptable

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection
section_headers: Main messages
section_content: If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, OR you have
received a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test result, the clear medical
advice is to immediately self-isolate at home for at least 7 days from when
your symptoms started. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. You
should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to
testing to arrange.
Consider alerting the people that you have had close contact within the last
48 hours to let them know you have symptoms of coronavirus COVID-19.
Following a positive test result, you will receive a request by text, email or
phone to log into the NHS Test and Trace service website and provide
information about recent close contacts
After 7 days, or longer, if you still have symptoms other than cough or loss
of sense of smell/taste, you must continue to self-isolate until you feel
better.
You do not need to self-isolate if you only have a cough or loss of sense of
smell/taste after 7 days, as these symptoms can last for several weeks after
the infection has gone. See the ending
isolation section below for more information.
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have
symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), then you must stay at home for at least 7
days. All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not
leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the
first person in the household became ill. See the explanatory
diagram.
Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of
infection that people in your household could pass on to others in the
community.
If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they must stay at
home for at least 7 days from when their symptoms appeared, regardless of what
day they are on in their original 14-day isolation period. The ending
isolation section below has more information, and
see the explanatory
diagram.
If you have symptoms, you should stay as far away from other members of your
household as possible. It is especially important to stay away from anyone who
is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable with whom you
continue to share a household.
Reduce the spread of infection in your home by washing your hands regularly
for 20 seconds using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser, and cover coughs
and sneezes.
If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets
worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days, then use the NHS 111
online coronavirus (COVID-19) service. If you do not
have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
If you develop new coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms at any point after ending
your first period of isolation (self or household) then you must follow the
same guidance on self-isolation again. The section below (After ending self-
isolation and/or household-isolation) has further information.
*[GP]: general practitioner (family doctor)

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has detailed information both for people showing symptoms and their household members.
This addresses if you have symptoms not someone you’re caring for.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Bad