Have you witnessed Covid first hand?

[HforHavana]

At the start, I was very much with the crowd of 'this is all too much and too far for a virus with such a high survival rate' 'let people live their lives and take their own risks'.
I thought the numbers were inflated (they still well may be), and everything in the news was exaggerated. In the first wave, I didn't hear of one person even having Covid. Never denied its existence, but definitely questioned the hype.

Last month, a fit and healthy family member tested positive and was dead within 3 weeks. The reality of the whole thing hit and now I see the risks and worry for the rest of my family who are vulnerable.

For 8/9 months, I didn't take the whole thing too seriously. I hate the fact it's taken this for it to hit home. When I see people's comments about going back to normality and stopping lockdowns etc, I wonder what their experience of Covid is.

Have you experienced Covid first hand and has your opinion changed since March on any of it?

I’m less concerned about the virus itself than I was at the start.

An elderly male relative died from it. However, he was, until recently, a heavy smoker, was being treated for an unrelated lung condition, and refused to go to hospital when he tested positive.

Two other relatives contracted it, in their 60s, one overweight, the other morbidly obese with a heart condition. One had mild-flu like symptoms and fatigue for two weeks, is fine now. The other had a very mild cough for about a week, no other symptoms, and is now fine.

I had it as we went into the first lockdown. I was ok, poorly but ok. My issue is long covid. My chest is still bad, my short term memory is shocking and Im still so tired

My daughter suffered severe long term effects from scarlet fever too. 16 kids out of 30 in her class had it. DD spent Christmas in hospital. She also passed it to my mum who was seriously ill. It was awful!

Yes my DM she was released from hospital after a week she went downhill but insisted on staying home.
The next day she was unconscious with yellow foam readmitted and died 2 days later.
My neighbour was taken by ambulance during the week he was grey I hope he survives.
My Dbro has it at the moment so far he is managing.

Yes, a sibling had it in March and was very ill for 3 weeks but was never hospitalised and is totally fine now.

A friend in his 30s had it and felt a bit rough for two days.

A distant cousin had it and died - he was obese, in his 70s and had various serious health complications already.

An aunt in her 70s had it and is fine. Her husband who is older and severely immuno-compromised did not catch it.

A distant relative in her 90s with loads of underlying conditions caught it in hospital, got over it in a week and is fine.

I continue to take it seriously and follow rules but I am not shit scared of it, which I was at the beginning, and I do now wonder whether the entire world is going totally over the top about it.

I got it in March I think. Reading these boards then and hearing of people being told to not call 999 unless their lips turn blue was quite horrifying. I bought a pulse-oximeter, because it seemed from reading accounts on here that happy-hypoxia was a symptom. I was very lucky, kept me in bed for a week and took another 2 or 3 to be back to full health. I'm 41 and fit and healthy.

When we surveyed our school returning from lockdown 1, 8% had suffered a covid bereavement.

I'm certainly someone who questions and doesn't trust the government much, but to me its always seemed a very dangerous thing, since the news reports from Italy and the need for the first lockdown.

I personally think that we need a full lockdown now until the end of January, schools included. Hospital capacity is too low. Years of cuts to the NHS are really taking their toll.

I'm very sorry for your loss op.

Yes, 2 relatives have had it. They've both been fine. I'm not scared of it on a personal level.

A neighbour was rushed to hospital in March and was in icu for months. She's probably in her 60s.

More recently, my son's friend's dad was hospitalised with it. He was almost put on a ventilator and said the illness was terrifying.

I know lots of kids and teachers who have tested positive. A teacher I know said she was the most ill she had ever been. One teen I know of (friend of a friend's daughter) was in icu with it.

I'm in a tier 3 area.