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My #COVID19 testing story.
March 7th: 103 fever, aches, elevated heart rate. I grab a mask, and head to Urgent Care.
Negative for flu, strep, and a few other tests.
Dr starts calling for covid-19 screening. After multiple phone calls she& #39;s increasingly annoyed. (Thread)
March 7th: 103 fever, aches, elevated heart rate. I grab a mask, and head to Urgent Care.
Negative for flu, strep, and a few other tests.
Dr starts calling for covid-19 screening. After multiple phone calls she& #39;s increasingly annoyed. (Thread)
She tells me that, despite my international travel, I don& #39;t qualify for covid-19 testing unless I (a) had direct contact with an known carrier, or (b) was in one of four high risk countries.
She& #39;s clearly frustrated by this answer so she instead orders a broad viral culture.
She& #39;s clearly frustrated by this answer so she instead orders a broad viral culture.
This won& #39;t detect covid-19, but it& #39;ll rule out almost everything else, she says. Diagnosis by elimination! I& #39;ll need to wait 3 days for results.
In the meantime she recommends a 14 day self-quarantine.
In the meantime she recommends a 14 day self-quarantine.
Quarantine Day 2: This is way more brutal than any "flu" I& #39;ve ever had. Fever won& #39;t go down, splitting headache, and now a dry cough.
Quarantine Day 4: I call in to see if my test results are ready. Surprise news: the test was cancelled. Someone in the John Muir bureaucracy overruled my Dr and decided the viral screen wasn& #39;t necessary. Yep.
My Dr says "sorry, just wait it out."
My Dr says "sorry, just wait it out."
Quarantine Day 5: News breaks that two individuals at the RSA conference tested positive for COVID-19. I spent 3 days at the conference 9 days before developing symptoms. RSA releases the employer of the individuals but not their names.
I call my Dr back with this news. But I am still denied testing unless I had direct contact with people whose identities haven& #39;t been released. Hmm? An impossible criteria, even though contact was likely.
I call Sutter: Denied. Contra Costa public health: Denied. UCSF: Denied.
I call Sutter: Denied. Contra Costa public health: Denied. UCSF: Denied.
One Medical: I don& #39;t strictly quality but she& #39;ll make an exception. (Thank you for being reasonable, @onemedical)
I grab a mask and drive solo to their dedicated testing clinic.
Insane qualification process. Looks to me like "anyone who wants a test, can get a test" is a lie.
I grab a mask and drive solo to their dedicated testing clinic.
Insane qualification process. Looks to me like "anyone who wants a test, can get a test" is a lie.
Quarantine Day 7
I& #39;ve now had a fever for a week straight and a dry cough that normal cough meds aren& #39;t helping. Miserable but at least I& #39;m still breathing without trouble.
Quarantine Day 9: Positive for COVID-19.
I seem to be improving. Really just hoping my grandparents (staying with us this month) somehow managed to avoid it before I started quarantine.
I seem to be improving. Really just hoping my grandparents (staying with us this month) somehow managed to avoid it before I started quarantine.
I cannot begin to fathom why we are failing to test people with symptoms like mine. It& #39;s almost as if someone in the administration "likes the numbers where they are."
I worry covid-19 cases are massively undercounted in the U.S. Stay safe folks -- stay home if you can.
I worry covid-19 cases are massively undercounted in the U.S. Stay safe folks -- stay home if you can.
