A FORMER Bradford police inspector has spoken of his terrifying battle with Covid-19 and his fear it would kill him. 

Jeff Baker, 64, who worked for West Yorkshire Police for 30 years, had to be cared for on the High Dependency Unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) after falling seriously ill with the virus last October. 

As a funeral celebrant, Mr Baker, who lives in Clayton Heights with his wife, Judith, sees first-hand the grief and heartache of the pandemic, with families unable to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones.

Then, at the end of October last year, Mr Baker was blue-lighted to the BRI after contracting Covid, as well as pneumonia. 

“There were times when I thought ‘I’m not coming out of here’,” he said. 

“I could hardly breathe, it was hard. I didn’t know what planet I was on at times. I was hallucinating a bit - at one point I thought I was in Barbados on a beach.”

He was treated in the HDU with a CPAP machine, unable to see his loved ones because of the restrictions. After 10 days the grandfather-of-two was allowed to go home, but suffered with what has come to be known as long Covid, which can last for weeks or months beyond the initial illness.

For Mr Baker, that included not being able to walk upstairs without having to sit down and rest.

His wife, Judith, 58, who works in West Yorkshire Police’s control room, said: “It was dreadful. Every time the hospital rings, your heart’s in your mouth.”

She spoke of the moment he was taken to hospital in the ambulance, when the blue lights were put on as it got to the bottom of the street.

“I thought ‘I’m never going to see him again’,” she said.

“It’s the fear, I don’t think people understand the fear. It’s like your whole world just implodes.

“I feel like we have had a good battering. The day he got taken into HDU, I fell apart.”

She said it was all the more frustrating because they had done everything correctly.

While she was unable to visit him in hospital due to the current restrictions, the family were inundated with messages of support and it was that “amazing” support which helped pull Mr Baker through his darkest hours.  

The couple have spoken out over those who don’t follow restrictions. 

Mr Baker said: “It really angers me to see people without face masks, because of what we’ve been through. I just think, it is real this. It makes me really angry that people don’t follow the rules.”

His wife added: “It’s a big arrogance that they think they are above the law and above people’s wellbeing. People think it doesn’t affect them. 

“We are a close-knit family, I think for people who don’t have anybody, it must be terrifying. I don’t think people realise what the impact is.”

As a celebrant with his own business, Circle of Love, Mr Baker sees the the hurt for families when they are unable to give loved ones the funeral they deserve. 

Despite what he has been through, Mr Baker is keen to spread hope, and has now taken a course to do wedding services and baby name services.

He said: “People have to look forward to something. Let’s start smiling. I know it’s rubbish, but we’ll get through it. We have to have that hope.”