Has having covid, not catching covid or knowing someone whose had it changed your view on how you first thought of it

[potentiallyme]

Before anything else I'd like to say so sorry to you all that have lost precious ones from covid (or any other reasons you've lost someone for that matter)
I feel beyond grateful that covid has not yet taken anyone I know. I was beyond panic stricken at the start of it all, now almost 2 years later I'm no where eat as frightened.

Our household caught it right at the beginning and we were okay and recovered reasonably well. I've had it since, but after vaccinations, and it wasn't as bad. We're all fairly relaxed about it and don't worry, but still wear masks in shops and wash our hands.

I think if we hadn't had it so soon at the beginning we would have been more anxious throughout.

I was of the mind of wanting to just get it over with as I'm sick of the whole thing. Until my kid caught it. I don't ever want to see that again.

I haven’t had it. My oldest caught it in August and was surprisingly ill for several days (he had had one vaccination at that point).

I’ve had 3 vaccinations and am course taking precautions including mask wearing and hand washing. I don’t know why you wouldn’t still take simple measures to protect other people, if not for yourself.

I had it right at the beginning and it's made me more anxious about it I'm sure. The experience was so awful and I still have some ongoing issues now so I'm both really anxious about contracting it again and concerned about people close to me getting it. Obviously Its hard to know how I would feel now if I hadn't of had it, but I suspect I'd be more chilled about it, although I do have underlying conditions so I'm guessing I would have still been somewhat cautious.

Yes, I was in Asia when it all started, getting phone calls from family about how bad things were in the UK, I didn't really grasp that it was going to be so serious. Flew back just before lock down and was horrified by the empty streets, the lack of food and the rapid increase of cases and deaths.
It was like a zombie apocalypse minus the zombies.
I thought we were all doomed, I've never been so frightened in my life.
We all survived, no one in the family caught covid but once things eased up two of the younger members of out family caught covid, one has it now and the other has long covid.
As an extended family we are all vaccinated and some are due their boosters, I never want to live through anything like this again.
It's made me aware of how precious and fragile life is, I'm more aware of germs and how they spread and I'm really uncomfortable in crowds, I don't like anyone getting too close to me and definitely don't want anyone breathing in me, it's also made me conscious of other people's personal space, I try not to encroach in case I make anyone uncomfortable

My view changed when my friend almost died and ended up on a ventilator.

I remember thinking back in March 2020 that we weren't going to contain Covid long-term - no one at that point thought vaccines would arrive as quickly as they did - and that I & everyone else would get it eventually. I'd also seen detailed breakdowns of the death + hospitalisation statistics already coming out of Italy, so I was very aware of who was at high risk (my 90yo grandmother) and who really wasn't (me, DH & the DC). So I guess I've always felt quite resigned to getting it and not at all anxious about it personally - any anxiety was always around passing it on to someone quite high risk. Nothing I've seen has changed that feeling TBH. Oddly enough the only confirmed case in my entire family was that grandmother and she was completely asymptomatic bizarrely enough (pre-vax too???). Although TBH I don't think a different outcome for her would've changed my perception, as she is very much at the end of her natural life and her quality of life is pretty terrible anyway. I know that prob sounds harsh to some people, but severe dementia is pretty fucking grim

I’ve never had it, don’t know of anyone personally whether it be family, friends, friends of friends, husbands business associates, colleagues, customers who have had it or that they know anyone who has had it.

I’m just thankful it hasn’t come within any distance of me and my loved ones.

Until last month, I didn’t know anyone who had died from it. Then my oldest child’s teacher died. He was in his 40s.

Child A had a headache for a few hours
Child B was completely asymptomatic
DH may have had it, but was in the SW dodgy test area. He tested due to positive LFT, and was a bit tired.
We think my "migraine" about 5 days before the children may have been it, but we didn't know about the headache symptoms then, so no testPlus I often have migraines. I've had a lot worse.

So... just a bit meh about it. We were lucky. DH was working outside the home throughout incidentally, except a week at the beginning as he was one of a group of people having to drive like hell to Calais to make the last ferry (they were there on Army exercise).

I was utterly terrified at the beginning and gradually calmed down. I've since had COVID and am now not remotely worried about it, it was no more than a cold for me (double jabbed) or DH & DS3 (unvaccinated)

I do feel for the CEV and those who have lost people but for my own personal circumstances, I'm now done worrying

If I was to go off my own personal family experience of covid so far I'd wonder what all the fuss was about. Only DS out of my family has tested positive and was completely symtomless and it did not pass on to anyone else in the household. He only found out after doing a PCR at school due to high cases, we all did PCR after his positive result, LFT throughout his isolation and PCR again at the end all negative. I'm obviously aware that not everyone has had the same experience as me and one of the worst things about this virus is there's no guarantees how it will effect one individual to the next

We’ve lost four loved ones. One was DH’s friend, in his 30s, reasonably healthy.

I’m more frightened now than I was at the start.

I think the uncertainty at the beginning of the first lockdown was the most worried I've been about it but even then I was quite philosophical. I followed all lock down restrictions and was cautious despite not being particularly panicked about catching covid, it just seemed sensible to try to avoid doing so if possible. I'm of the same opinion now but I think I have a greater appreciation that the consequences of catching it are more of a lottery.

I know two people who have been unwell enough to be admitted to hospital, one was in their 40's (fit and healthy, no underlying medical conditions)and died within days and one in their 50's who is still struggling 8 months later having been fit and well previously.

We know, statistically, it is older people or those with pre-existing health problems who are more vulnerable to serious illness or death but my experience has been that the people I know, who fall those groups, have had fairly mild illness and fully recovered.

I'm still doing my best not to catch it but accept it's probably inevitable.

As a very healthy adult having ‘Mild’ Covid was horrific enough. It’s why I now cringe and shudder whenever I see the elderly folk out and about in M&S and the supermarkets without masks on because I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, certainly not someone frail or of ill health.

I thought the media scare mongered, misleading statistics and stupid rules.

Still think the same.

Still scaring people with vaccine evading variants though we havent had no such thing in the past 18 months.

I've had Covid, I know people who have it.

No. I was quite worried but not terrified about it at the start and I am still the same. I take all the precautions, wfh, dont socialise much. We are vaccinated and have not caught it so far. I just wish I could get my 6 yo vaccinated before we will all inevitably catch it. Fingers crossed vaccines will do their job and we won't be too sick when the time comes.

I was scared I remain quite scared, I caught it and I felt not at all right for almost a year and was weak as a kitten for six months. I know one person who has died of covid she had an underlying condition and was before vaccines but she was only 32. DH has had a very elderly distant relative die as well sadly.

I was very concerned at beginning as have a dc who had asthma attack when young and ambulance to hospital for breathing but he got it after vaccine and I’m very relieved he was ok

Other dc barely a cough

Me and dh either asymptomatic or vaccine protected

So I’m not worried for us atm but I know it can be worse for others

I’m am glad it’s over with in terms of next few months

We’ve all had it. All very mildly ill, no worse than many colds we’ve had. My cousin died from it. None of that changes my opinion view of it, which is that it is mild for some but very serious for others.

I was worried initially, now I’m not remotely worried. I don’t give it a second thought in my day anymore really. For myself anyway. I have moderate asthma. I’ve had covid twice, once before & once after my vaccines. I didn’t have any asthma problems either time. First time was very mild. Second time I felt really rough, took 3 weeks to recover. All fine now, I’ll take my chances of catching it again.

My family are all vaccinated & boosted where applicable. I don’t know a single primary school aged child who hasn’t had it incredibly mildly 🤷🏼‍♀️ Kids get ill, mine have just been wiped out by a stomach bug. It was far worse than covid!

My only concern remains with my CEV mum. I hope her booster does the job. 🙏🏼 But I’ve spent many a year worrying about her health after a cold I gave her left her in hospital with sepsis a few years ago ☹️ So, worrying about her health is nothing new!

It's still quite surreal for me. I'm double vaxxed and will get booster as soon as I can. I live in the place with low rate. Haven't had any school outbreak, or closure for y dc. It seems quite normal, no one I personally know have had it yet.
My dh's work mate had it recently, he was unvaxxed and ended up in hospital, despite being young and no underlying condition.

We’ve had it twice. Well, all of us ill the first time, I ended up with pneumonia and took a good few months to get back to fitness. Luckily the decent weather and lockdown meant I had lots of time to recuperate. DD had a nasty cough for a bit, DH was ill but not as bad as me.
I then caught it again 7 months later, only the similarities made me test as it was a mild headachey cold. DH tested negative but we think we tested too early as he had very similar symptoms. Didn’t bother getting the kids done as we all self isolated.
We are now vaxed and will get boosters in the NY
Covid has been rife in schools since and I’ve been around loads of cases, not caught it again though. I must admit I’m a lot less worried for us, more so for my parents though. My sister had it after being double jabbed as was mildly ill, fully recovered after her 10 days isolation was up.

I have covid at the moment and have felt completely flattened by it.
It's not changed my view of it. From a personal standpoint, I have never been worried about it being serious for me, I worry more about long covid. The concern has always been for me at a population level, what devastation a novel virus can wreak. One of my elderly relatives died of it last April (in a care home). We were worried about another elderly relative who is CEV but he caught it after having the vaccine and had a mild cough.

My dad caught it in hospital at the beginning of the pandemic and died with it.
A friends partner mid 50’s had it before the jabs and was so ill he was hospitalised and nearly died.
Another man I know early 40’s is still really struggling with long covid over a year on. His life and health has been so changed by it its also really affected his mental health.
My son 17 with one jab had it and was relatively ok and managed to continue with online learning but the last couple of days he developed a hellish cough.
I have had some friends who were barely affected by it and others quite poorly (both before jabs and since).
The scary thing is no one knows how it will or won’t affect them or a loved one. I am CEV so I have always been cautious and still am minimising my social contacts, still going for walks with friends, still working from home, avoiding crowded places and wearing a mask indoors etc.