While the South West grapples with the implications of rising COVID-19 case numbers, residents and businesses are working to overcome the health, financial and family challenges that the virus has presented for our community.
This week, we spoke to a group of locals who shared their varied experiences battling the illness, and how they have coped with the physical effects as well as the practical impacts on day-to-day life.
Margaret River resident Joe Forte said while he and his daughters - all double vaccinated - contracted COVID-19, wife Sophie, who is triple-vaccinated, did not.
Joe told the Mail his wife may have been "simply just immune".
"It was like a fairly severe head cold for about three to four days for all of us. Blocked up, aches, chills etc."
Joe said the family took paracetamol to help with symptoms, but cold and flu medication didn't seem to help.
"I work from home and kids obviously had to stay home from school for a week," he said.
"I didn't really feel like working for the few days I was 'proper sick', but the girls were recovered and ready to go back to school before the week was up, about day five. So a minor disruption to my work but nothing too bad.
"We've basically recovered but I've had a lingering tight chest during exercise/exertion. It feels like you just can't get a deep breath (for me), the girls are fine. [I] had some fatigue in afternoons for a few days after all other symptoms had gone."
Local hospitality legend Stephen Yeoman said for him, COVID-19 was "man flu without the drama".
"No audience, you see... so no point!"
Stephen said he spent a week off work, but was able to access the Federal government's $750 Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment relatively quickly. With an existing heart condition called Atrial Fibrillation, Stephen said his symptoms became worse following a series of booster vaccinations.
"Since COVID-19 I have had a new cough that comes and goes... but other than that it's all good. I've truly had worse colds... [but] I am lucky, I hear."
Director of accountancy firm AMD Lorex and mum of two Miriam Bailey said the virus hit her family hard, even though she and husband Damien are fully vaccinated.
"I was really ill, the last time I was this sick I had pneumonia quite badly," Miriam told the Mail. "I had to reschedule client appointments and have a whole week off work in some of the busiest times, and then once I was better the rest of the family caught it, so I had to look after them.
"For the kids they missed out on their entire school holidays as they had to isolate while I was sick, and then again once they got it. I was in separate room, family members wore masks, and they still got it."
She said she still had symptoms of long COVID around four weeks after, with difficulty breathing and low energy levels.
With no close contact history or symptoms, Treeton resident Penny Beere had no idea she was potentially unwell with COVID-19 when she woke on the morning of April 30, ready to race in the Busselton 100 Triathlon.
In her first foray back into the sport after her fourth child, she had done little to prepare prior to starting training in February.
"On race day, I woke with a sore scratchy throat but... I just assumed I had rolled onto my back to be comfortable and snored.
"I had no one around me that was COVID-19 positive so it didn't occur to me that I could have been exposed somehow.
"I didn't feel my usual self in the race either, but put it down to not as much training as I should've had and not getting my nutrition on track properly.
That night I fell asleep on the couch at 7pm, an unusual occurrence for me but again easily explained by the 100km triathlon I just did."
The next day, Penny was aching and once a fever set in, she realised it was illness, not race fatigue.
Despite her symptoms, she said with a little rest, she was able to spend the week in isolation working around the house, including chopping firewood and painting her son's bedroom.
"I remember two bouts of flu i had in 2016 and 2017 where I had two full days of fever and joint pain and could not look after my children at all.
"This was nowhere near that level. Even on my worst day I was on my feet, organising the sale of our business."
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Nicky Lefebvre
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
