New guidelines for people who suffer from asthma have been issued to the NHS amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The advice has been issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and has been put in place 'to maximise the safety of adults and children with severe asthma'.

According to the new guidelines, people will severe asthma should continue to take their treatment as it is prescribed.

Asthma patients should attend any essential appointments alone to minimise the risk of infection.

If they cannot attend alone they should take no more than one other person with them.

GPs may ask patients to attend a consultation via a video call or on the phone to minimise contact.

Patients will also be told to regularly clean their equipment with detergent, such as washing up liquid, and not to share inhalers and devices with anybody else.

Doctors are also being urged to prescribe enough asthma medicines to meet the patient's clinical needs for no more than 30 days' treatment.

Any additional supplies beyond this could put the supply chain at risk, according to the NICE.

Some severe asthma patients, who are at a higher risk, will have received a letter from their GP telling them to shield themselves completely from social contact.

Advice has also been given from asthma charities

The new guidelines come shortly after Asthma UK set out a series of helpful advice for sufferers concerned about the coronavirus, The Mirror reports.

The charity advises that anyone who has asthma and the symptoms of Covid-19 should do the following:

* Stay in your home for seven days if you live on your own, or 14 days if you live with others. Everyone in your household will need to stay in the house for 14 days.

* You don't need to contact 111 to tell them you are staying at home.

* If your COVID-19 symptoms don’t go away after 7 days, or get worse, or you are having difficulty breathing, call 111 for advice, or 999 if you need emergency care. Tell them that you have asthma, and if your asthma symptoms are getting worse.

* If you get an asthma cough and are not sure whether your cough is a symptom of COVID-19 or related to your asthma, speak to your GP, use the online 111 service or call 111 to ensure that you get the right care.

* Keep following your asthma action plan to manage your asthma and so you know what to do if your asthma symptoms get worse.

* If you are having an asthma attack, call 999 for an ambulance as usual, and tell them you have COVID-19 symptoms.

* Carry on taking all your usual asthma medicines as normal.