Everyone who thinks they may have symptomatic Covid should be checked by a doctor before Day 7 of the illness, and this doctor should be aware of how Covid works. It's a lot to ask, but this will save lives.

Here in France the protocol is that a negative Covid test is NOT enough to rule out a Covid infection. Diagnosis depends also on a CT scan and assessment of symptoms. The tests are not very reliable! All treatment of Covid at this point is supportive, anyway. No treatment.

People in America are fixated on the tests, but they are necessary as a population diagnostic tool and can help a doctor know what to expect, they are not definitive for individuals. Effective treatment of Covid cases, from mild to serious, do not need to hinge on a positive test

Basing all care and/or actions on positive/negative test results can be very dangerous! Contagious people who falsely test negative can spread the disease to vulnerable people. Sick people with false negative may not take the illness seriously and can be endangered.

Most people with Covid will be able to safely recover at home. But if your symptoms are worsening after five days, you should be seen by a doctor for tests. Testing for Covid is not the most important of these tests—it's the tests to see how your body is holding up that matter.

I think it is still hard for Americans to come to terms with how bad their health care is. They don't have the adequate care of a doctor in most cases, so they transfer that horror onto whether or not they could get a Covid test, when it's robust health care they really need.

Testing for Covid on an individual basis is only one part of a larger picture of diagnosis, safety, and care. The other parts cannot be ignored.