COVID-19: migrant health guide

No charges for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing, treatment and vaccination

Overseas visitors to England, including anyone living in the UK without permission, will not be charged for:

• testing for COVID-19 (even if the test shows they do not have COVID-19)
• treatment for COVID-19, including for a related problem called multisystem inflammatory syndrome that affects some children
• vaccination against COVID-19

No immigration checks are needed for overseas visitors if they are only tested, treated or vaccinated for COVID-19.

COVID-19 translated advice and guidance

The above guidance on COVID-19 testingtesting, treatment and treatmentvaccination free of charge (MS Word Document, 66.2KB92.1KB). has been translated into 40 different languages by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The following resources are also available in various languages:

• COVID-19 vaccination information
• stay at home guidance for households with possible COVID-19 infection
• information for shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
• the Mayor of London and London Assembly guidance on COVID-19

Doctors of the World has provided translated COVID-19 resources informed by government and NHS advice.

The International Organization for Migration has set up the COVID-19 Migrant Information Service, which provides multilingual information on COVID-19 measures and support in the UK context. The aim is to support migrants who may face language barriers when reading complex information. The information is available in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Romanian. It relates to 5 important areas of everyday life that have been significantly affected by COVID-19: health, employment, benefits, housing and immigration.

COVID-19 general advice and guidance

Health information and advice about COVID-19 is available on the NHS website.

Learn about the UK government’s response to COVID-19 on GOV.UK.

Advice on how you can help reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

Overseas travel advice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Find out the latest government advice on travelling abroad, including the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings.

NaTHNaC also provides up to date overseas travel health information.

Vitamin D

There have been some reports about vitamin D potentially reducing the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19). NICE, Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition have undertaken robust assessments of the available evidence on vitamin D and COVID-19. They have concluded that currently, there is not enough evidence to solely treat or prevent COVID-19, except as part of a clinical trial. For further information, see the NICE COVID-19 rapid guideline on vitamin D.

In addition to existing guidance on vitamin D supplementation, adults, young people and children over 4 years should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 units) of vitamin D throughout the year if they have little or no sunshine exposure because they are spending most of their time indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.