topic Re: Testing in Community Chat

Testing

Mom2Dogs — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:26:36 GMT

My big question is when/if we ALL get tested, how will we know who has and has not been tested?

I fear the answer to that question.

edited to fix typo

Re: Testing

millieshops — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:31:04 GMT

@Mom2DogsI don't even need ALL - but I'd sure like it to be more than practically nothing and then have someone who easily leads a sanitary life tell me it's safe to resume my previous life.

Re: Testing

Winkk — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:44:44 GMT

I was wondering the same thing. Will they give you something to say you were tested? Even so, if you are tested one day what's saying you don't get it a few days later. It's a mess.

Re: Testing

Carmie — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:50:48 GMT

I don't think we are all going to be tested.

There will be no way to know who was or wasn't and it probably won't matter much anyway. It appears you might not get a lifetime immunity from this virus. You can get it more than once.

Re: Testing

Mom2Dogs — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:53:10 GMT

@Carmie I agree.

Re: Testing

Tadaki — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:04:11 GMT

What's up with how we still can't get tested unless we are already 99% sure we have it?Makes no sense. It's not a perfect solution, but it could be 1 tool among other things that could help us get back on our feet. It seems to me that it would be especially valuable to identify those who have no symptoms, but do have the virus.

Re: Testing

Still Raining — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:06:31 GMT

The more interesting question (in a perfect setting) is to identify the immune. This can only done after they know how immunity works with this virus. Or course with a vaccine. Be a while.

Re: Testing

noodleann — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:09:02 GMT

The tests need to be approved formally, not with this Wild West fast-tracking the FDA is using. Otherwise, we're going to have people with false negatives who are actually transmitters who won't take precautions because they feel the negative result means they're no danger to anyone, and there you go with the spreading.

Re: Testing

Alison Wonderland — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:11:52 GMT

@Winkk wrote:
I was wondering the same thing. Will they give you something to say you were tested? Even so, if you are tested one day what's saying you don't get it a few days later. It's a mess.

You could. It will take testing and contact testing on a massive scale so that they can identify anyone currently infected and isolate just those people and anyone who lives with them. If everyone who has the virus is identified and isolated, that will help us truly stop the spread. The countries that were able to do that have been much more successful at containing the virus than we have been.

It won't stop it entirely and I expect we're going to get waves of the virus coming through as new people enter. Even if you screen everyone exiting an airplane in your country or state, if they were exposed on the plane, they'll test negative because it's too early to identify.

Re: Testing

stevieb — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:26:47 GMT

Like any other disease entity, the feasibility of testing the entire population is limited. More to the point, what about those who do not agree to get tested? Are they to be forced to? Are we then to all potentially be tattooed with who's 'safe' and who's not? Where does the line get drawn? From where I sit, testing is not the issue, preventing the illness and effective treatments should be the priority. At the snail's pace at which things seem to be moving, once these things are in place, a valid testing protocol, which is now lacking, will perhaps have been developed and testing, overall, will be less of a concern and will have fewer potentially negative social implications.

Re: Testing

Pook — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:39:30 GMT

I don't know if it will ever be possible to test everyone but tests shouild be available for any business that opens back up. Having everyone tested will not guarantee it will be gone. Most businesses want to have each employee tested and testing guaranteed after that for employees that may have contracted it before allowing them back and are making changes so there can be social distancing wherever possible. While the area where I am has very few in the hospital but those who might have it are being told by the ER and their doctors to just self quarantine instead of being tested. No one seems to care about all those they may have had contact with. Until there is a HUGE drop in those in hospitals and death rates are way down letting most businesses open is ridiculous.

Re: Testing

Barbara-QVC — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:49:43 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it is political

Re: Testing

hckynut — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 21:17:18 GMT

Hi @Mom2Dogs

My simple answer? We won't. When our lives start moving again, I have no intention of asking anyone "have you been tested". If they volunteer out of the blue to tell me, fine!

I plan on treating this like our medical records should be treated, and that is with "confidentiality", between the patient and their doctor(s). Never have asked anyone "do you have the flu, or have you had a flu shot", and this virus will not change that for me now, or in the future.

Probably not an answer you want to hear, but you did ask, no?

hckynut 🏒

Re: Testing

Porcelain — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 21:31:46 GMT

If we ever get to the point of antibody and immunity testing or vaccinations, we could just obtain virus free ID cards, or have a little blue heart put on our drivers licenses or something similar. No need for dystopian marks of the beast or alien implants or forehead barcode tattoos.

Re: Testing

Drythe — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 21:47:50 GMT

@Tadaki wrote:
What's up with how we still can't get tested unless we are already 99% sure we have it?Makes no sense. It's not a perfect solution, but it could be 1 tool among other things that could help us get back on our feet. It seems to me that it would be especially valuable to identify those who have no symptoms, but do have the virus.

@Tadaki

I've got some very explicit thoughts as to the lack of

PPE, Respirators, Testing Kits, Planning, and Informed Unified Guidance - based on Science, not Magical Thinking, or Revisionist History.

However, Posting them here would get me Banned forever.

So, I'm sitting on my paws. 🤐

Re: Testing

stevieb — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 23:10:09 GMT

@Porcelain wrote:
If we ever get to the point of antibody and immunity testing or vaccinations, we could just obtain virus free ID cards, or have a little blue heart put on our drivers licenses or something similar. No need for dystopian marks of the beast or alien implants or forehead barcode tattoos.

Oh yea, right... And so we'd all have to go to the DMV, wait in line for hours absorbing God knows what other germs, then wait for hours more until our number is called to get our official virus free ID card... That'd work...

Re: Testing

Porcelain — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 23:15:16 GMT

@stevieb wrote:
@Porcelain wrote:
If we ever get to the point of antibody and immunity testing or vaccinations, we could just obtain virus free ID cards, or have a little blue heart put on our drivers licenses or something similar. No need for dystopian marks of the beast or alien implants or forehead barcode tattoos.
Oh yea, right... And so we'd all have to go to the DMV, wait in line for hours absorbing God knows what other germs, then wait for hours more until our number is called to get our official virus free ID card... That'd work...

Well sure you could set it up that way. Or you could try to do it in a way that worked. I'm not with the government, so there's no need to try to hold me accountable for some kind of digital certification back to work scheme.

If you really want a virus face tattoo, go right ahead.