Your Covid risk... Do you think you will die from Covid?

[Noreana]

Last week I started CBT for health anxiety.
I’ve lived with it for a long time but have always been able to manage without it having too much of an effect on my life.

Since Covid my health anxiety has been completely out of control.
I didn’t want to seek any help as I just assumed everyone felt the same way.

But last year people my age started to enjoy “freedoms” when lockdown ended and I just couldn’t do it.

I contacted talking therapies and have waited 18 weeks for CBT.

Last week on our first session we discussed what it is that I’m struggling with.

So I said Covid and my risk.
I have a high BMI, no other health conditions.
I’ve had 1 vaccine but had it slightly later than when it was offered to me so second not due for 6 weeks.

I told my therapist I feel very high risk from Covid and I truly believe if I get it, I’m going to die.

She told me I’m catastrophizing and over estimating the danger and my risk (which I found quite patronising)

She told me she is going to do a survey and ask people with my risks, how they feel about Covid and we will discuss next week.

So, I want to hear from people here how they feel and how they perceive their own risk and what their risk factors are.

How will that help you? Genuine question! Unless she's going to do a proper survey, with a large sample size (at least 100 people), properly quotaed to reflect the general population of the UK, her findings will be meaningless.

You are catastrophising. But I think you already know that.

I'm nearly 62, so I'm more at risk than younger people (and I'm guessing you're younger if you've only had one vaccination so far). But I've had both jabs now. I'm still careful about how often I go out, and make sure I wear my mask/wash my hands/keep my distance etc.

So I'm less worried about catching it, and even less concerned about dying from it.

I dont think I would die, might feel a bit rubbish but no. I only had the vaccine due to the transmission reduction not for my personal risk.

Mid 30s, no risk factors

@BIWI

How will that help you? Genuine question!

I actually asked this and she said they use a company that does surveys so it will be asked amongst a large group of people 🤷🏻‍♀️

54, overweight, worked outside the home throughout in a high risk environment (food factory) have now had two AZ vaccines.

Before my vaccinations I thought I might catch it but would have minor symptoms at worst. Now I think it’s highly unlikely I’ll catch it. (I follow all the rules because I’m not a twat before anyone starts). For the vaccine it didn’t occur to me for a single second that I’d have anything more than a sore arm.

So far, I’ve been right on all three counts.

Well I'm still alive after having covid in Dec. My BMI is in the 40s. I'm very lazy and unfit. I worried all year about getting it as well.

I'm not scared of getting it at all. Late 30s, normal bmi, no health issues. My son has a heart condition and in the early days I was worried about him getting it but not at all any more. I know it can be extremely bad for some people but I have known so many people to have it and have been fine.

Not worried at all - 38, no risk factors (other than a few extra lockdown lbs - bmi is 25.5) and one vaccine so far.

I'm fat and nearly 40. I don't think it would kill me. I do have a child who's medically complex and it could be catastrophic for him, or it could be something he brushes off no problem but we don't know so I've had the jabs etc early for his sake

Not a chance. I had it last year, it was no worse than a cold.

My BMI is high, no other health issues, have had one jab and not due my next until August.

I believe that my risk of Covid is low, and if I did catch it, I will at most feel quite rubbish for a week or so.

I suppose it’s possible I may end up in hospital, but highly unlikely. I haven’t believed I will die since April 2020.

I'm 40, obese, diabetic, asthmatic, and have liver disease. I've had both Pfizer jabs and feel confident that I wouldn't die if I got it now.

If you'd asked in March 2020, the answer would have been different.

I'm not particularly worried about getting it. My 45 year old asthmatic brother and my Dad in his late 60's have had it and only been mildly ill so no reason to think I'd be any worse.

I’m high risk, I’m immno-compromised and over weight. I don’t think I’d die but I was (pre vaccine) very concerned about long covid and the effects that would have on my existing chronic illness.

Being over weight alone probably wouldn’t make me feel at a massively increased risk.

Even at the start of the pandemic when we knew very little I didn’t worry in the slightest about catching it or dying from it. I worried about friends dying from it - those who are in higher risk groups.

Post vaccination I don’t even worry about them.

I'm in my 40s with a bmi of 30 and I'm not worried about dying.

It's quite possible I will die from a future variant of covid in approximately 40 years time.

Well I'm in my 40s, overweight (not quite obese but close) and have type 1 diabetes. When I looked early in the pandemic at risk calculators there was stastically something like 0 004% risk of me dying and 0 1% chance of ending up in hospital. As it happened I tested positive for covid a few months later but was entirely asymptomatic and have no lasting effects.
So I would suggest that your risk would be similar to mine or less and if that's the case then you are over estimating the risk aren't you if it's less than 0.1% chance of dying? It is very very common for people with anxiety to have an unrealistic risk perception (been there myself- mine focused on baby ds dying and cot death/overheating). I hope that your therapist will give you some ways to help deal with this.

How old are you? I guess if you’re under, say 60, then you are not high risk, very unlikely to die and the therapist is right. From a personal point of view, I am not in a high risk category and I don’t think I am going to die from covid.

I've just had it. Apart from losing my taste and smell it was just like any other bug. Your health anxiety is the biggest risk to your life, not covid.

@Keepingitreal14

Being over weight alone probably wouldn’t make me feel at a massively increased risk.

I’m massively overweight though. My BMI is 38 😓

I'll admit that when this first started in March last year I was incredibly anxious about it - not helped by the fact that my grandad caught it very early on and was incredibly unwell in hospital. Okay now thankfully.

Me and DP caught it in May, he was worse than me, but even so it was nowhere near what I'd built up in my own head.

You can't spend so much time worrying about things. I spent more time worrying about covid than it took me to actually get it, have it, and recover from it. The worrying took more from me than covid itself.

I'm 61, in the overweight category, otherwise healthy.
I've never even contemplated dying of coronavirus. If I caught it I would have expected to recover.
My ex is 63, overweight male, he had it and recovered at home without any care, he said he felt 'a bit rough' for a few days, and that was it.

If you have health anxiety seeking assurances is just going to feed your anxieties.

Nothing anyone says on here will help, providing reassurance will just channel your anxiety and give it something to latch on to, thats how it works.

@Retrievemysanity

How old are you? I guess if you’re under, say 60, then you are not high risk, very unlikely to die and the therapist is right. From a personal point of view, I am not in a high risk category and I don’t think I am going to die from covid.

@Retrievemysanity

32 BMI 38

I haven't