Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis COVID-19 FAQs

You can find all the data on the official UK Government website.

The website includes the numbers of cases, deaths and tests. The site also includes graphs and cumulative data. There is also a breakdown for all four UK nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Depending on where you live, the advice may differ. For the latest information visit:

UK National Government

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

World Health Organisation (WHO)

It's an acronym for corona (CO) virus (VI) disease (D) 2019 - year of discovery (19)

Yes.  The expert guidance recommends that patients with psoriasis should be immunised against COVID-19 as soon as the vaccine is made available to them.

The decision whether to have the vaccine or not, is a personal one.  You should consider all the available information and make a decision based on your own circumstances.  If you are unsure, you should discuss this with your own doctor. 

It is dependent on your age, health profile and other criterion. Use this calculator to estimate where you are in the queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the UK.

Calculate when you may be offered the vaccine

There is currently no evidence that the vaccine will make your psoriasis worse and no reason to think it would.  Whilst it is true that we do not yet have specific information about the COVID-19 vaccine and psoriasis, evidence from other vaccination programmes (e.g., the flu vaccine) does not suggest any detrimental effect. 

It is not yet known whether one vaccine is more suitable than another, for people who are on medication designed to suppress the immune system and it will be some time before we can give clear guidance on this.  In the meantime, the recommendation is that you should receive whatever vaccine you are offered, since delaying will leave you at risk from COVID-19.  

The short answer is - yes.  As described earlier, COVID-19 vaccines are non-live vaccines.  This means that they can generally be given quite safely to people receiving drugs such as methotrexate and biologic injections, that affect the immune system.  As research continues on COVID-19, doubtless more specific information regarding different medical conditions will become available. 

It is not yet known whether the vaccine will be as effective in patients on immunosuppressive medication, such as methotrexate and biologic injections. More research in this specific area is needed and will eventually become available. 

However, given that there is no reason to think the vaccine will not be effective, the advice is that patients on psoriasis immunosuppressant medication should not delay being vaccinated against Covid-19.   

If you are unsure, speak to your healthcare team.a

In general - no.  Expert guidance says that patients may continue their oral or biologic psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis treatment without interruption, when receiving these immunizations.  As always, however, discuss this with your family doctor. 

The short answer is - yes. There is currently no evidence of any safety concerns from vaccinating people with a history of Covid-19 infection or with detectable COVID-19 antibodies