Oh and a neighbour died of covid in a care home last year early on. Many work colleagues lost family members or were hospitalised themselves. But many people we know have died of other conditions likely because covid made the whole system gridlocked. Thankfully a BFF is still alive despite having chemo through the last few months. But a friend’s sister died of cancer earlier this year and many others we know have died of cancer during this time. The hospitals did their best but the situation last year meant that many cancers were not diagnosed or treatment may have been delayed or more difficult to access safely so people maybe didn’t search for it when they needed it.
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I’ve never had Covid, I know as I’m tested three times a week, several have had it where I work long before any vaccine was available, we had a few residents die of suspected Covid.
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Hi
Nope.
I caught it in hospital and it was not good.
Kept in a pod in Critical Coronary Care, then on a Covid Ward on forced oxygen.
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I have avoided catching C19 so far having been told by my DIL to 'Go home an stay there, my mother won’t listen and I want my children to have at least one grandmother 
’ in early March 2020. Trained in disasters management including pandemics DIL saw it coming and prepared including PPE in case a member of the family (7 of them) caught it and needed nursing at home.
I had already decided I was high risk because of health issues and to go into isolation anyway. 
It was no problem for me I like solitude and am always well stocked with provisions.
My neighbour caught it in March 2020. He was in his 80’s and I spoke to him the day before he became ill when he was walking his dogs . It was horrible, in our tiny hamlet the ambulance his son called had to park outside my house and window and I saw him being wheeled out gasping for breath in a mask 
I was really shaken when I heard he had died,
2 family members in Derbyshire have had it also my DILs sister,all recovered. I know of a number of people who have had C19 some sadly died.
Another neighbour had it in March this year and has long covid.
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No,I haven’t had it,neither has Anyone in My Family and I don’t know Anyone who has had it,
so far…so good.
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I’ve not had it as far as I know. I work with the public, so have been doing lateral flow tests twice a week since they became available. I still wear masks on public transport, when out shopping and at work. I am also a carer for my nearly 90 year old mother, so have been very careful throughout.
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I have not had it nor my immediate family. I’d like to keep it that way…
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No, we haven’t had it. We stayed home practically all last year and just getting exercise by walking round the garden.
I will continue wearing a face mask when going out for any appointments.
My greatest regret is not being able to see my children regularly. I haven’t seen my son who lives in Wales for almost 2 years. My daughter isn’t well and i can’t give her a hug.
How the world has changed
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I lost a young friend to covid he was 36 and local lad . He got it at Christmas and was put into a coma for 5 weeks sadly we lost him . I’m unaware if he had underlying symptoms
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I opted for the second option although this was from before Covid-19 became a “thing”.
Just before Christmas 2019 my wife, my son and I developed many of the now-known-about symptoms which persisted longer than your average cold-type infection as did family & friends nearby.
Then last year Mrs Zaphod had a blood test (as part of something to do with her work) which showed that she had been infected at some time in the past and the only time any symptoms had been evident were in that time around Christmas 2019.
Both Mrs Zaphod and more recently Zaphod Junior have been testing regularly and nether have had a positive result.
Mrs Zaphod and myself are now double-jabbed and we’re waiting to see if Junior (who falls into the 12-15 age range) will be offered vaccination in the future.
As such we still take sensible precautions.
I suppose that we are fortunate in not losing any close family to this horrible disease, although Mrs Zaphod has sadly seen a dear friend succumb.
This friend had self-isolated with their partner and hadn’t left the house, yet still Covid struck.
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Mr F lost one of his brothers to covid just after christmas,we had not seen him for about 2years as he lived in Spain, eldest granddaughter had it early in pandemic, was a nurse in a major teaching hospital. One of my nieces has just come out of isolation as she and two of her daughters have tested positive.
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is this a UK only poll as I have just posted and I don’t live in UK?
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I wouldn’t have thought it was UK-specific @gumbud though because most (all?) of the replies are from the UK I can see why you might think that.
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Poll works well, but seeing results, all those avatars look messy. I’d rather see usernames.
Just some input.
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I keep having sneezing fits but, there again, I’ve had them for years - ever since the hairs in my snot box started growing and tickling the inside of my nasal passages.
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I caught it from a guest speaker at school (most likely, as she was positive 2 days later)
or possibly a pupil… it was only a matter of time, working conditions being what they were.
I was achy, shivery, permanently tired and had a bad chesty cough. The coughing actually made me throw up so I stopped eating after a couple of days.
With Lemsips/hot squash every 2 hours I felt ok but boy I did some sleeping!
My sense of taste and smell disappeared after 3 days but came back as soon as I recovered, which was about 12 days from the onset of symptoms.
I count myself lucky that it was just a flu-like illness and nothing more. To get it worse must be like a living hell, honestly.
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Blimey … you had an awful time … not knowing what ill-effects you would experience or how long they would last must have been extremely worrying … 
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I didn’t worry so much actually @Omah
I suppose when you’re the one who is ill you just measure your progress day to day by how you’re feeling and after 4 days I did start to feel better… and increasingly so as the days passed
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Excellent … 
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My brother died from it just before Christmas. I couldn’t go to the funeral as my SIL and niece had it and I am classed as vulnerable.