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Your COVID story

Oblivion Knight

Bang bang!
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Name
Andy
What has been your own personal story/experience during 2020 with the Coronavirus pandemic?

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Quite early on around mid-March I decided to take on a second job; supermarkets were crying out for staff, I have previous experience, and thought I could use the extra money to pay off a bit of debt as well as getting some outstanding work done on the house.. It was a bit of added security too, since I wasn't sure at the time whether or not I would be furloughed from my job as an IT technician for a secondary school.

Indeed, schools closed a week or two later. However we were asked to continue working from home, supporting with password resets and anything else that we could assist with remotely. My wife had already been working from home for a few weeks, and we had our daughter to take care of having taken her out of nursery as a precaution. We compromised, and managed pretty well with the support of our employers.

Unfortunately I lost my Grandad to COVID-19 over the Easter weekend. He fell quite ill the week before, was tested positive and seemed to be on the mend - but he very quickly deteriorated soon afterwards. We remain grateful to the Hospital staff that looked after him, and they allowed my Uncle to be by his side.

Then in May, my wife dropped a bombshell that she wished for us to separate. It was utterly heartbreaking, but not a complete surprise since we'd been struggling for a while.. I moved out in July, and continued to see my daughter for a few days every week. I relapsed with my mental health, and went back on to anti-depressants.

I returned to working on site at the school throughout the summer, whilst continuing the extra work I'd taken on at the supermarket. In August I had to be tested for COVID myself as a precaution, though I was confident it was just a heavy cold. The first test returned "unclear", but the second came back negative. From experience, I can tell you the test itself is quite unpleasant!

I'm working 60+ hour weeks as standard, have paid off a good bit of debt, and the extra money has helped to get my flat kitted out with the essentials (thankfully it was fully furnished).. Oh, and I haven't touched a drop of alcohol since NYE 2019 despite everything that's happened.. 😁
 
Andy your story is heartbreaking! It sounds like You're doing really well despite everything though..

I don't really have a big story to tell really,

About a week before lockdown, I took a holiday from work - and I said as I was leaving.. I bet we will be closed before I come back!

Few days later, was watching Pitch Black with my partner, and just happened to switch over to the news and it was Boris with the 'Stay At Home' message.

My workplaces was only closed for a couple of days, but they furloughed most staff, and just kept on 'the most important' — I fell into the latter. I would have preferred furlough just to be safest. My partner however, works in a pub - so they had to close for the long term.

But. For some ridiculous reason her pub manager decided to hold a full team meeting in person - and soon after she started exhibiting symptoms. She had the virus, and I'm positive she got it because of that stupid meeting they made her go to...

She's okay now, but her sense of smell and taste is severely broken. Even months after.. it makes things difficult as things just aren't the same when two of your senses are marred. But things aren't too bad.

I self isolated for a week, and then I went back to work.. and I've been working full time since March. Travelling to and from work on public transport etc.

So yeah.. nothing too major for me, my working life hasn't been altered too much and I'm still very busy and I'm not home all the time like a lot of people.
 
Andy your story is heartbreaking! It sounds like You're doing really well despite everything though..
I'm doing better thank you, the real test will be when I decide to stop the second job but for now it remains mutually beneficial.

She's okay now, but her sense of smell and taste is severely broken. Even months after.. it makes things difficult as things just aren't the same when two of your senses are marred. But things aren't too bad.
There seems to be more and more of this coming out now, where those who have had the virus actually suffer long-term effects from it.

I was really quite unwell at the start of the year prior to the lockdown, literally aching everywhere as though a cold had gone into my joints. I'd temporarily lost my sense of smell which later made me question whether or not I'd had the virus. Thankfully this was only a temporary thing for me that lasted a week or two, but I'm still none the wiser about possibly having the virus.
 
We all have a story to tell. I have been working throughout the whole pandemic as a key worker and my college closed during the national lockdown. It's re-opened now and I'm now attending classes in the classroom. I have a holiday booked for Christmas to Cape Verde, so I'm hoping this won't be canceled.
 
What has been your own personal story/experience during 2020 with the Coronavirus pandemic?

---

Quite early on around mid-March I decided to take on a second job; supermarkets were crying out for staff, I have previous experience, and thought I could use the extra money to pay off a bit of debt as well as getting some outstanding work done on the house.. It was a bit of added security too, since I wasn't sure at the time whether or not I would be furloughed from my job as an IT technician for a secondary school.

Indeed, schools closed a week or two later. However we were asked to continue working from home, supporting with password resets and anything else that we could assist with remotely. My wife had already been working from home for a few weeks, and we had our daughter to take care of having taken her out of nursery as a precaution. We compromised, and managed pretty well with the support of our employers.

Unfortunately I lost my Grandad to COVID-19 over the Easter weekend. He fell quite ill the week before, was tested positive and seemed to be on the mend - but he very quickly deteriorated soon afterwards. We remain grateful to the Hospital staff that looked after him, and they allowed my Uncle to be by his side.

Then in May, my wife dropped a bombshell that she wished for us to separate. It was utterly heartbreaking, but not a complete surprise since we'd been struggling for a while.. I moved out in July, and continued to see my daughter for a few days every week. I relapsed with my mental health, and went back on to anti-depressants.

I returned to working on site at the school throughout the summer, whilst continuing the extra work I'd taken on at the supermarket. In August I had to be tested for COVID myself as a precaution, though I was confident it was just a heavy cold. The first test returned "unclear", but the second came back negative. From experience, I can tell you the test itself is quite unpleasant!

I'm working 60+ hour weeks as standard, have paid off a good bit of debt, and the extra money has helped to get my flat kitted out with the essentials (thankfully it was fully furnished).. Oh, and I haven't touched a drop of alcohol since NYE 2019 despite everything that's happened.. 😁
Yes, the test does indeed suck. Im sorry so much has happened to you during lockdown. You sound like you are coping pretty well though mate.

I was admitted to hospital in June with unexplained chest pain and a resting heart rate of 130, up to 200 on exertion. I had a covid test which was negative, was diagnosed with involuntary sinus tachycardia and set home with beta blockers. I've been getting intermittent chest pain ever since!
 
My pandemic situation has been fairly peaceful, so I've been lucky.

I was furloughed from work in late April, but thankfully I qualified for unemployment. At the time, the US was giving additional unemployment to people, so I actually made more money per week than at my job.... kind of amusing.

I got called back to work at the end of July, and thankfully this company has been doing their best to keep us safe while working with the public.

Only had one close call with the virus. I played DnD at a friends house, and the couple that hosted ended up both testing positive for covid. I went ahead and self quarantined a couple weeks, despite not showing symptoms. Thankfully, both my friends are fine.

sorry that your year has so rough, but you seem to be staying positive!

edit; almost forgot the big life change for me! I was diagnosed as diabetic in early September... my sugar was 400, when it should be closer to 100! So life adjustments and lifestyle changes have had to be made... shots and pills included!
 
I wish the antibody testing was accurate!

On February 9th I posted on one of my forums (in a private area) "I hope I'm not catching the flu". The symptoms I had were similar to covid with exception of the cough that I never got. The symptoms only lasted 2 days and then I was fine except for fatigue. This was before Covid was supposed to be in my area of the country so now I wonder DID I HAVE IT?

My husband has asthma so we've been trying to be very careful...well, I have. He is an essential employee so has to go into work but gets to work from home some days.

At first I went grocery shopping every 2 weeks and wiped everything down with a disinfecting wipe. Now I'm not like that. I go once a week, still wear my mask, and have gone to a few other places and even out to eat. I'm not as worried about it now because the death rate, even though it's sad people died) is not as high as they predicted. 70% of the people who died in my state were living in nursing homes and the governor had sent the sick there instead of putting them in the hospital so he is a big cause of the deaths here :(

My church is opening up today finally but I still won't go. I'm not fearful but I'm still cautious and especially since I'll be having major surgery next month. I need to remain as healthy as I can.
 
I'm lucky enough that COVID hasn't had an extremely negative impact on me. The lockdown meant that I was at home for most of it. My university is doing things online now which isn't great for the price we are paying but it is better to be safer. The only slightly negative thing is the uncertainty around driving tests because we are unsure of when the next lockdown is and my test is scheduled for next month!
 
I'm lucky enough that COVID hasn't had an extremely negative impact on me. The lockdown meant that I was at home for most of it. My university is doing things online now which isn't great for the price we are paying but it is better to be safer. The only slightly negative thing is the uncertainty around driving tests because we are unsure of when the next lockdown is and my test is scheduled for next month!
Hey bud, nice to see you here :)
 
I was on my study abroad semester when it happened and I was totally devastated. Around Mid-march I think when it was declared a pandemic, there was a lot of panic and worry with most students returning to their home countries. I decided to stay and the next two months or so whilst it was so unknown was very lonely as I did not go outside much. Then eventually I started to do more brave and courageous things as I was in Sweden where it was not so restricted. Eventually, though I had a cool summer and saw some great places, not as many as I would have without a pandemic but I certainly enjoyed myself more there than I would have in England.
 
I haven't been the victim of getting the virus, but I know friends who have unfortunately caught COVID. Who thinks the restrictions will be no longer by the start of 2022? My job hasn't be impacted, but my daily routine has. I'm hoping this will be the last lockdown in the UK, but we will see!
 
I thought I'd post an update a while ago.. Maybe I just thought about doing so and never got around to it.

I met someone in October on eHarmony, and things have been going really well. She lives about 30 mins drive from me which is a bonus (we formed a support bubble, it's fine).. It's been pretty weird starting a relationship amidst the lockdown, but we're looking forward to having some "normal" dates as things start to open up again. We've already booked a spa break in June 😌

I've continued to work 60+ hour weeks across the two jobs, though I have made the decision to reduce my hours slightly after Easter to a more manageable 49.. Still a considerable amount, but until things do start re-opening then I'm not in any rush to give up the extra money! Speaking of which, I'm now completely debt free. I received a payout from the marital home, and such are the poor interest rates for saving at present - I chose to pay off all debt and save money in the long run by not paying the interest on that. I've now opened up my own savings account for the first time ever, and I'm putting in what I would be paying monthly on debt, so I can hopefully try and build up toward a house deposit again in the future.

I've started drinking alcohol again in 2021, but so far I haven't been drunk.. I've quite enjoyed having a few different beers that I'd never tried before! :beer_drink:

We have unfortunately lost another family member to COVID recently after a long battle with cancer. She grew tired of shielding and felt the need to go and do something basic such as grocery shopping. Unfortunately it was this decision that ultimately led to her being infected.

Finally, I received my first Coronavirus vaccine yesterday (AstraZeneca) - and I'm happy to report that I'm feeling completely fine. Perhaps slightly more tired than usual, and my arm is slightly tender this morning.. but at least I haven't had anything like some of the reactions that others have reported.
 
I thought I'd post an update a while ago.. Maybe I just thought about doing so and never got around to it.

I met someone in October on eHarmony, and things have been going really well. She lives about 30 mins drive from me which is a bonus (we formed a support bubble, it's fine).. It's been pretty weird starting a relationship amidst the lockdown, but we're looking forward to having some "normal" dates as things start to open up again. We've already booked a spa break in June 😌

I've continued to work 60+ hour weeks across the two jobs, though I have made the decision to reduce my hours slightly after Easter to a more manageable 49.. Still a considerable amount, but until things do start re-opening then I'm not in any rush to give up the extra money! Speaking of which, I'm now completely debt free. I received a payout from the marital home, and such are the poor interest rates for saving at present - I chose to pay off all debt and save money in the long run by not paying the interest on that. I've now opened up my own savings account for the first time ever, and I'm putting in what I would be paying monthly on debt, so I can hopefully try and build up toward a house deposit again in the future.

I've started drinking alcohol again in 2021, but so far I haven't been drunk.. I've quite enjoyed having a few different beers that I'd never tried before! :beer_drink:

We have unfortunately lost another family member to COVID recently after a long battle with cancer. She grew tired of shielding and felt the need to go and do something basic such as grocery shopping. Unfortunately it was this decision that ultimately led to her being infected.

Finally, I received my first Coronavirus vaccine yesterday (AstraZeneca) - and I'm happy to report that I'm feeling completely fine. Perhaps slightly more tired than usual, and my arm is slightly tender this morning.. but at least I haven't had anything like some of the reactions that others have reported.
Ok, I'm starting to feel a bit ropey now post-vaccine.. :woozy_neutral_face:
 
My partner has had the AZ vaccine, she's a bit gutted though as now we can't try for a little one for at least 3 months.. She said her arm is aching and she's feeling a bit ropey too!
 
Just a minor update to my covid story...

I took one of the lateral flow tests today as I didn't feel too great... and it was positive. God dammit! I have COVID!!

Ive been going to work throughout the whole lockdown and as soon as Boris says it's time to get back out there the damn virus hits me. I've taken a proper swab test to be lab tested as well but for now I'm suffering the effects.

Its mainly a fever, it's kinda hellish. The coughing isn't prevalent just yet but I've got a feeling it will be over the coming days... Urk.
 
Sorry to hear bud - you not had a vaccine yet? Fingers crossed it doesn't get you too bad.

I continued to take weekly tests for about a month or so post-vaccine since I felt pretty lousy, but returned negative results each time. At this point, as much as I know it's possible to have it more than once, I'm absolutely convinced that I had it before it was a "thing" in the UK..
 
...and so my COVID story is (hopefully) nearing an end! *touches lots of wood*

I'm being called in for my second vaccine jab which should have happened last Friday, but got cancelled on account of me being unwell. Yesterday also marked the beginning of the end with working two jobs, as I handed in my notice at Tesco with the intention to leave on 7th July. It felt like the right time to do so as restrictions are being relaxed, and I want a bit of "me" time before things get super serious with my new partner and we think about moving in together.

I'm sure the spare time will be put to good use with Umbrella Online moving forwards.. 😉
 
...and so my COVID story is (hopefully) nearing an end! *touches lots of wood*

I'm being called in for my second vaccine jab which should have happened last Friday, but got cancelled on account of me being unwell. Yesterday also marked the beginning of the end with working two jobs, as I handed in my notice at Tesco with the intention to leave on 7th July. It felt like the right time to do so as restrictions are being relaxed, and I want a bit of "me" time before things get super serious with my new partner and we think about moving in together.

I'm sure the spare time will be put to good use with Umbrella Online moving forwards.. 😉
Congrats and getting some of your you time back (soon), and on getting the second jab! All the best to you in your new relationship, as well :)
 
So there has been a bit of a covid outbreak where I work, we've had to close twice within the space of 7 days and do several deep cleans which involves a guy walking around with a wand that just kills covid in mist form…

But yeah. Basically half of my work team are off sick because of the virus. And our head office and regional management are doing nothing to help… It's infuriating. In fact, the regional manager actually responded with anger. Which is the complete wrong attitude, it stinks. We are in a pandemic, and they're lifting restrictions. It's not gone away, it's always going to be around… I could have done with more than just anger. Can't do anything with that!

Anyway, rant over. 😂
 
I've been pinged! I've got to self-isolate for the grand total of... 1 day :facepalm: Someone please tell me what is the point?

do several deep cleans which involves a guy walking around with a wand that just kills covid in mist form…
We pretty much got told that deep cleans aren't worth the time, effort, or cost!

Several teachers asked about the school closing to have one after a high number of students isolating before the summer holidays..
 

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