Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Information about our services

Public health information

Support available and community groups

Community testing

COVID-19 guidance and support

COVID-19 remains a serious health risk. You should stay cautious to help protect yourself and others.

Changes to self-isolation from Wednesday 22 December

In order to keep the country safe and moving at this time, the Government has announced a reduction in the period of self-isolation, in most cases.

From Wednesday 22 December 2021, people who receive negative LFD results on day 6 and day 7 of their self-isolation period - with tests taken 24 hours apart - will no longer have to self-isolate for the full 10 days. The first test must be taken no earlier than day 6 of the self-isolation period.

Those who leave self-isolation on or after day 7 are strongly advised to limit close contact with other people in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, work from home and minimise contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID- 19.

There is no change to the guidance for unvaccinated contacts of positive COVID-19 cases, who are still required to self-isolate for 10 full days after their date of exposure to the virus.

View the full announcement on GOV.UK: Self-isolation for COVID-19 cases reduced from 10 to 7 days following negative LFD tests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

New measures announced in response to the Omicron variant

The Prime Minister has announced new measures in response to the Omicron variant, including face coverings in shops and on public transport, PCR tests on or before day 2 for all international arrivals and self-isolation for contacts of suspected Omicron cases, including for those who are fully-vaccinated.

For the latest guidance visit GOV.UK: Coronavirus (COVID‑19).

Government COVID-19 plan - autumn and winter response

The Government has published its autumn and winter COVID-19 response plan and we are asking you to continue to do what you can to protect one another and local health services at a challenging time.

Booster vaccines will be offered to those who received a vaccination in phase 1 of the programme. 12-15 year olds will be offered a first dose and this will be carried out by the NHS in conjunction with school immunisation teams.

It is expected that everyone with COVID-19 symptoms continues to self‑isolate and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The legal requirement to self-isolate for 10 days if an individual tests positive for COVID-19 will remain in place in order to prevent those who are infected from mixing in the community and passing on the virus. Over autumn and winter PCR testing for those with COVID-19 symptoms will continue to be available free of charge.

Regular rapid lateral flow testing for asymptomatic people will help find cases and break the chains of transmission. It will be particularly focused on those who are not fully vaccinated, those in education, and those in higher-risk settings such as the NHS, social care, and prisons.

To help support health services, at an already busy time, a free flu vaccination will be available for more people than normal. It will be available to the previously eligible groups, which includes primary school children, 65 year olds and over, vulnerable groups, and pregnant women. Eligibility for a free flu vaccination this year will also be extended to include secondary school children and 50-64 year olds.

Please continue to wear a mask in enclosed indoor spaces; wash or sanitise hands regularly; isolate and book a PCR test if you have any COVID-19 symptoms; getting the vaccine when offered; and taking regular lateral flow tests to help break transmission.

The full plan can be found at Government COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan.

News

Vaccinations

The national programme to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds has started. Here in Wiltshire, alongside partners, we're working with schools and their immunisations teams to start rolling this out in our local schools. More information on the announcement of the national programme: Universal vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 15 years against COVID-19

Children aged 12 to 15 who are at increased risk of serious COVID-19 disease are being offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It has also been recommended that children and young people aged 12 to 17 who live with an immunosuppressed person should be offered the vaccine.

More information on the announcement and which under 18s are eligible for the vaccine is available at GOV.UK: vaccination.

We would encourage everyone who is eligible to take up the vaccine to do so as soon as possible, including 16 and 17 years olds who have been offered a single dose.

Anyone over 18 years can book their vaccine online: NHS: Book or manage your coronavirus vaccination.

Anyone of any age, including those aged 16 and 17 years, can attend a walk-in vaccination site where no booking is required: Walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination sites.

Lateral flow tests for regular rapid COVID-19 home testing

We have rolled out the Government's rapid COVID-19 targeted community testing. This approach aims to reduce the prevalence of the virus. Around one in three people who have coronavirus do not display any symptoms so it's important that those eligible get tested if they can. We currently have seven collection sites across Wiltshire for collection of lateral flow home testing kits and our public health van on the roads to support communities that may find it harder to access COVID-19 tests. Please remember that if you have symptoms of COVID-19 you should book a PCR test.

Due to the current national increased demand for lateral flow test kits, we are currently limiting people to the collection of one testing kit per household (two for larger households) at a time from our Wiltshire Council-run collection sites. We encourage you to use any tests you may already have at home before collecting more. If you don't have any, please only collect the amount of kits you need. You can find out where your nearest collection site is by using this LFD post code checker. Online orders for lateral flow test kits may be made through the national website GOV.UK: Order coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests.

This is a fast moving situation and we really appreciate your patience and understanding, particularly with our staff working at the sites.

There are seven local test collection sites that we have opened across Wiltshire, offering the option to collect lateral flow test kits for use at home:

• Devizes Leisure Centre
• Bourne Hill in Salisbury
• Monkton Park in Chippenham
• Springfield Community Campus in Corsham
• Calne Leisure Centre
• The Vale Community Campus in Pewsey
• Nadder Centre in Tisbury

These are open in line with the leisure centre and building opening hours so please check before you set off.

The other ways that people can access lateral flow tests include:

• a home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral flow tests online to be delivered to their home, or by calling 119 between 7am to 11pm if they cannot order online
• workplace testing programmes, on-site or at home
• testing at schools and colleges

Anyone who is asymptomatic can collect lateral flow tests at the collection sites without booking.

This testing is being rolled out because around one in three people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms. Rapid lateral flow tests help to find cases in people who may have no symptoms but are still infectious and can give the virus to others.

The at home test kits are intended for use regularly, and results can be logged online. If the test result is positive with an at-home lateral flow test, people need to take a PCR test to confirm the result. PCR tests can be booked through www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. If someone tests positive, they may also claim for a Test and trace support payment if they are eligible.

People who have any symptoms of coronavirus should not use this service. Symptoms include a high temperature, a new, persistent cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Free testing continues to be available to everyone in Wiltshire who has COVID-19 symptoms, and people who show symptoms must book a test online or call 119. Testing with symptoms is offered at the regional and local testing sites.

More information, including frequently asked questions  can be found at our community testing page.

Cases

You can find up-to-date information about the latest number of COVID-related deaths in the Wiltshire Council area at GOV.UK.

Hospitalisations

You can find more on the hospital admissions by trust level.