I just had the test for COVID-19. And exactly as the nurse had described it, the swab was shoved so far up my nose that my eyes watered. It was similar in discomfort to jumping into deep water unprepared, with water strongly forcing itself up the nose, a sensation that I have experienced in the past and one which made me an avid poolside reader but never really much of a swimmer.
The ease with which I was able to drive to our local hospital, park, give the necessary information from the safety of my car and then be brought inside to have the test was amazing to me. I was thoroughly impressed even as I was feeling lousy and anxious. I was processed by a team of cheerful, friendly and competent nurses who really seemed to enjoy their work despite the fact that they are working at the very front of the front lines. As busy as they were, I was in and out in fifteen minutes and just have to self isolate for the next couple of day until the results are known. Given that I am coughing, sneezing and far from good company, this should not be hard. The sheet of paper that I was offered after the test gave a lot of good information regarding next steps. Chief among them is staying home, washing hands and wearing a mask, also monitoring health, staying separate from others and cleaning surfaces frequently.
The only thing that could possibly make it a better experience would be to get the result that I am confident of in a shorter period of time. Same day results would be great and far less of an inconvenience. But convenience is not what we are looking for now. A negative result would be more than enough.
The ease with which I was able to drive to our local hospital, park, give the necessary information from the safety of my car and then be brought inside to have the test was amazing to me. I was thoroughly impressed even as I was feeling lousy and anxious. I was processed by a team of cheerful, friendly and competent nurses who really seemed to enjoy their work despite the fact that they are working at the very front of the front lines. As busy as they were, I was in and out in fifteen minutes and just have to self isolate for the next couple of day until the results are known. Given that I am coughing, sneezing and far from good company, this should not be hard. The sheet of paper that I was offered after the test gave a lot of good information regarding next steps. Chief among them is staying home, washing hands and wearing a mask, also monitoring health, staying separate from others and cleaning surfaces frequently.
The only thing that could possibly make it a better experience would be to get the result that I am confident of in a shorter period of time. Same day results would be great and far less of an inconvenience. But convenience is not what we are looking for now. A negative result would be more than enough.
