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What you need to know• Consider covid-19 infection in anyone with a new continuous cough, temperature ≥37.8 o C, flu like illness, pneumonia, or breathlessness • Any person with a new continuous cough and/or high temperature must self-isolate for seven days from the onset of symptoms, and asymptomatic household members should stay at home for 14 days • Triage all patients online or by phone to assess the need for face-to-face appointments.Use remote consultations when possible • When seeing patients suspected to have covid-19 who are unwell and require in-person assessment, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and separate the consultation in time or place from other patients in the surgery.Subject to local risk assessment, PPE may also be indicated for routine medical work, regardless of the patient's status, in settings where there is sustained transmission of covid-19 • GP surgeries should develop protocols for managing patients with possible infection, including triaging remotely, postponing non-urgent services, isolation procedures, PPE provision, seeking specialist advice, decontamination, and collaborating with community services The UK recorded its first confirmed case of acute respiratory infection due to coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) on 31 January 2020 and initially responded by quarantining at-risk individuals to contain the spread of infection.However, when covid-19 cases increased and containment was no longer effective, the UK moved to a delay phase of the response on 12 March 2020.Executive agencies Public Health England (PHE), 1 Health Protection Scotland (HPS), and NHS England have since published updated guidance for healthcare providers on managing patients suspected to have covid-19.Guidance for the public and health professionals varies internationally, depending partly on risk levels and healthcare systems, and is being regularly updated.This article offers a practical guide for GPs and others working in UK primary care on when to suspect covid-19 and how to respond.It is based on current UK guidance at the time of publication and was updated on 3 April 2020.We recommend readers consult the latest guidance (box 1). Box 1: Essential resourcesCovid-19: latest case definition, investigation, and initial clinical management of possible cases: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirusinitial-investigation-of-possible-cases/investigation-and-initial-clinicalmanagement-of-possible-cases-of-wuhan-novel-coronavirus-wn-covinfection
Razai et al. (Thu,) studied this question.