Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department’s advice for covid-19 and the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak differs.

Initial symptoms of H1N1 swine flu and COVID-19 are very similar, so laboratory tests are required to confirm the nature of the disease.

The advice to protect against H1N1 swine flu is to get vaccinated as there is a suitable vaccination available on the market. While United Kingdom scientists have started testing a new vaccine for COVID-19, to date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat it. People are advised to follow guidance set out at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public