By 
A CARRICKMORE man who contracted coronavirus last month has spoken of his relief after being given the all-clear from the disease.
Jimmy Fox runs the Charm Inn and is also a funeral director in the area.
He said the positive diagnosis – believed to be one of the first cases in the local area – came as a “massive shock.”
“It started off as a bad old cough, so the doctor sent me for the swab test which then came back positive for the virus,” said Jimmy.
“Getting the news that I had Covid-19 was a massive shock because there was a lot of fear about at that time. But to be honest, throughout all that, I never once thought about dying or anything like that.
“The doctors and nurses who were treating me were brilliant and were always keeping in contact and providing reassurance.
“I was confident they would be able to help me to get better and fortunately in my case that’s how things worked out.
“You take things for granted a lot of the time and to be told that you’ve got the coronavirus makes you look at life differently and appreciate that what really matters is your family, friends and community.
Jimmy has thanked the hundreds of people who contacted the family or sent messages of support for him when he was ill.
“People were praying for me and sending messages of support which was a big help and is really appreciated by all of us. The work of the medical staff was just amazing as well and we’re all so grateful to them.”
Mr Fox, who won a Tyrone senior championship medal with his native Naomh Colmcille club in 1969, has just returned to work following a period of self-isolation.
He is enjoying being able to get into his car again and says the response by the local community has been “unbelievable.”
But he also has an important message for anyone who may feel that they are suffering from symptoms of coronavirus.
“My advice to anyone would be to contact their doctor if they feel that they have even the slightest symptoms of the coronavirus and don’t be worrying about wasting the time of medical staff,” he adds.
“It’s also vital that we continue to stay at home and stay safe so that we can all get through this shutdown and this virus as soon as possible.”
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