topic Re: Covid testing sites in Community Chat

Covid testing sites

Lali1 — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:55:07 GMT

I noticed there are two I have seen in my town. My town is quite large and I haven't been out of my little area so I don't know about any others. I drove by one at a school when I went to get my dogs meds. There was no one in line. There's one in the Walmart lot where I pickup groceries but I have never seen anyone working there or waiting. I suppose this is a positive. How is your area?

Re: Covid testing sites

ScrapHappy — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:08:06 GMT

There are several in my area. But there also has been a lot of confusion about going. We're told "anyone can get tested" and at no cost. Just drive up. But the local news did an undercover story and found that wasn't true. They found you either had to have symptoms, or known have been exposed or high risk (like medical personel). You can't just drive up, you need an appointment and have to do it on line, which seems not so easy to navigate. And the undercover news man went to three sites being charge anywhere from $40 to $300.

Re: Covid testing sites

suzyQ3 — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:20:19 GMT

My only experience is that CVS is on my walking route. The most I've seen in line is maybe four or five cars.

Re: Covid testing sites

SunSprite — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:33:41 GMT

My experience has been the same as @ScrapHappy .

You hear it on our local news all the time; free testing, everyone can get tested, blah blah blah. Until you try to do it. You have to have been prescreened and met the criteria for needing testing, to make it to the stage of actually getting the test.

Disingenuous at best.

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:42:28 GMT

I got a test at a drive through site about 6 weeks or so ago. I signed up online, this particular site would test anyone, with or without symptoms or any health issues (not all sites tested those without symptoms or health issues - these things were specified on the Kroger website), and it was free. I plan to test again just before I go back to work and regularly thereafter.

I signed up for an early appointment, and when I finished there was a very long line waiting to test. But there are many more sites now and I don't think the lines are as long because of it. My state wants to keep testing 2% of the population and so far is testing higher than that.

So, my experience (and those of some friends) was not like the "investigative report".

Re: Covid testing sites

esmerelda — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:48:42 GMT

@QueenDanceALot Why the regular retesting? Why not wait for a symptom or two. Because it's free?

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:56:15 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Why the regular retesting? Why not wait for a symptom or two. Because it's free?

@esmerelda

Because I work in close proximity with people and pre-symptomatic people can be very contagious.

I think it's the responsible thing to do.

Re: Covid testing sites

Drythe — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:58:45 GMT

My state is having trouble getting the reagents. 🤔

So testing numbers are NOT up.

Nevertheless the positive ratio has doubled.

Re: Covid testing sites

esmerelda — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:03:14 GMT

@QueenDanceALot Isn't everyone presymptomatic if they don't have symptoms?

Won't you skew the test numbers, or will they know it's you over and over again?

If it wasn't free, how much would you be willing to pay to be tested each time?

Re: Covid testing sites

bikerbabe — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:05:48 GMT

@esmerelda

I recommend regular testing to patients who have ongoing close contact with non household members. I believe @QueenDanceALot is a personal trainer (?) so she would fall into that category. It’s also a CDC recommendation. Is it a perfect system? No. But it does catch some carriers of the virus and it does help reduce spread.

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:06:24 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Isn't everyone presymptomatic if they don't have symptoms?

@esmerelda

People who are carrying the virus and never show symptoms are asymptomatic.

Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms.

You can look this up. Unless you're trying to play "gotcha" with me. And I won't be playing.

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:11:47 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Isn't everyone presymptomatic if they don't have symptoms?

Won't you skew the test numbers, or will they know it's you over and over again?

If it wasn't free, how much would you be willing to pay to be tested each time?

They have my name and information in a database, @esmerelda .

My governor is encouraging those of us who are in contact with the public regularly to get tested regularly.

And why on earth would you care how much I'd be willing to pay?

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:14:07 GMT

@bikerbabe wrote:
@esmerelda

I recommend regular testing to patients who have ongoing close contact with non household members. I believe @QueenDanceALot is a personal trainer (?) so she would fall into that category. It’s also a CDC recommendation. Is it a perfect system? No. But it does catch some carriers of the virus and it does help reduce spread.

@bikerbabe

Yes, I am a personal trainer.

A client of mine is a physical therapist who oversees therapists in several long term care facilities. He gets tested twice a week.

And yes, it's not perfect, but it seems to be helping the numbers in my state.

Re: Covid testing sites

suzyQ3 — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:20:58 GMT

@QueenDanceALot wrote:
@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Isn't everyone presymptomatic if they don't have symptoms?

@esmerelda

People who are carrying the virus and never show symptoms are asymptomatic.

Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms.

You can look this up. Unless you're trying to play "gotcha" with me. And I won't be playing.

@QueenDanceALot, you are doing the right thing, whether you were to pay for testing or fortunately get it done at no cost. :-)

Just a question: Are you sure of that definition of "pre-symptomatic"?

Re: Covid testing sites

esmerelda — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:23:15 GMT

@QueenDanceALot Just curious what value you place on it. You could pass the cost on to your clients.

"Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms."

I get from that ^ statement that once you have symptoms, the people you've been around have a better chance of having been infected. But isn't that always the case? Isn't that what contact tracing is about?

So...wasn't everyone who spread it either asymptomatic or presymptomatic at some point?

Re: Covid testing sites

suzyQ3 — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:25:44 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Just curious what value you place on it. You could pass the cost on to your clients.

"Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms."

I get from that ^ statement that once you have symptoms, the people you've been around have a better chance of having been infected. But isn't that always the case? Isn't that what contact tracing is about?

So...wasn't everyone who spread it either asymptomatic or presymptomatic at some point?

@esmerelda, she gets free testing.

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:26:44 GMT

@suzyQ3 wrote:
@QueenDanceALot wrote:
@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Isn't everyone presymptomatic if they don't have symptoms?

@esmerelda

People who are carrying the virus and never show symptoms are asymptomatic.

Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms.

You can look this up. Unless you're trying to play "gotcha" with me. And I won't be playing.

@QueenDanceALot, you are doing the right thing, whether you were to pay for testing or fortunately get it done at no cost. :-)

Just a question: Are you sure of that definition of "pre-symptomatic"?

Maybe my wording is not clear on pre-symptomatic. My understanding is that if you are pre-symptomatic that you have contracted the virus and will be highly contagious a few to several days (I believe the number I read was 2-5, but I don't know if that is concrete) prior to showing symptoms.

Is that more clear?

Re: Covid testing sites

esmerelda — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:29:11 GMT

@suzyQ3 wrote:
@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Just curious what value you place on it. You could pass the cost on to your clients.

"Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms."

I get from that ^ statement that once you have symptoms, the people you've been around have a better chance of having been infected. But isn't that always the case? Isn't that what contact tracing is about?

So...wasn't everyone who spread it either asymptomatic or presymptomatic at some point?
@esmerelda, she gets free testing.

@suzyQ3 WADR, read the entire exchange and try to keep up.

Re: Covid testing sites

suzyQ3 — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:29:22 GMT

@QueenDanceALot wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
@QueenDanceALot wrote:
@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Isn't everyone presymptomatic if they don't have symptoms?

@esmerelda

People who are carrying the virus and never show symptoms are asymptomatic.

Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms.

You can look this up. Unless you're trying to play "gotcha" with me. And I won't be playing.

@QueenDanceALot, you are doing the right thing, whether you were to pay for testing or fortunately get it done at no cost. :-)

Just a question: Are you sure of that definition of "pre-symptomatic"?
Maybe my wording is not clear on pre-symptomatic. My understanding is that if you are pre-symptomatic that you have contracted the virus and will be highly contagious a few to several days (I believe the number I read was 2-5, but I don't know if that is concrete) prior to showing symptoms.

Is that more clear?

@QueenDanceALot, I think that is more clear. In other words, pre-symptomatic means that you are incubating the virus -- likely no symptoms at all but still just as contagious.

Re: Covid testing sites

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:31:37 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@QueenDanceALot Just curious what value you place on it. You could pass the cost on to your clients.

"Pre-symptomatic people are those who do show symptoms but are considered to be highly contagious a few to several days prior to showing symptoms."

I get from that ^ statement that once you have symptoms, the people you've been around have a better chance of having been infected. But isn't that always the case? Isn't that what contact tracing is about?

So...wasn't everyone who spread it either asymptomatic or presymptomatic at some point?

@esmerelda

My understanding is that truly asymptomatic people never show symptoms, they just carry.

As far as contact tracing, I don't understand your question. I'd rather not pass the virus to someone in the first place which is the point of testing. If I test positive I stay home and reduce the chance I pass it on. Whether I would be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic would not be known at the time of the test.