Maybe I sound crazy

Do you think it’s possible, that maybe milder strains of covid (I’m not smart at all, so I’m sorry if I sound stupid.) actually existed through out 2019. My fiancé passed away in February 2019, and before/during that he was coughing nonstop. The drs couldn’t figure out what was exactly wrong. They just said it might just be bronchitis and he passed away a few days later. Due to his weight, they assumed he had a heart attack. He actually had all the signs of a clot, but I’ve heard covid can cause blood clots too. I had caught whatever he had a few weeks before him, and was coughing, felt like I couldn’t breathe. But I was over it in a few days. Then August 2019 my mom got VERY sick. Coughing, headaches, sore throat, etc. She lost her sense of smell and taste still hasn’t gotten it back. and she ended up in the hospital for a few days because she was having trouble breathing. Just wondering if anyone else may have experienced something like that during that year?