#BlackCovidStories
Day #5 9a After 3 days of calling every hour, they rushed his results: My Son Tested Covid NEGATIVE! I was excited until he said:we get a lot of False Negatives so be vigilant (my son had a rough night)
I dont now whats next But this is what I’ve learned
1/13

1. They don’t know squat about this virus: when my sons fever spiked on Wed w/ other symptoms. I asked the triage nurse were these Covid symptoms. He told me that they no longer have set Covid Symptoms (there are Too many) - they are just assuming it unless otherwise notified
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2. There are a number of testing places around Baltimore BUT only if you have a PCP: my sons Peds doc offered me Five different testing spots. I asked did I need a referral and she said you showing up is referral enough because you’re only there because your doc sent you
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3. You have to fight like heck to get tested once you get there: they tested my college kid for strep and then told him that since he was young, unemployed, and didn’t have anywhere to go - he should just assume he has it and treat himself at home
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4. You need a doctor to help you fight: I argued with the office on the phone while my son tried to push back in person trying to get tested BUT the tide shifted when my sons Peds office intervened and sent paperwork

5. So you actually DO need a referral
5/13

6. If you are an essential worker: go and get tested now! They told my son that they were instructed to prioritize essential workers and that if he was a doctor or a grocery store clerk then they would gladly test him: no questions or push back
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7. The Rapid test, which is 30% accurate, ONLY took 10 minutes and the Lab test, which is 90% accurate, took Three days: fight to get both. I held on to the negative Rapid results at night when his temp spiked
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8. It is actually Really hard to treat Covid at home Because if everything is Covid, how do you treat everything? My son ended up on three different meds and we were told to throw everything we had it, including all home remedies. The pulseox & thermometer helped us to keep track

9. You also have to fight to get quick results. I sat my alarm and called every hour on the hour for three days: even at night when they were closed, I left messages. I called so much, the person said we know who you are, they rushed to get your results becuz you kept calling
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10. The best way we can fight this is to do it together: let’s share what works, let’s share where to get tested and how; let’s pray for each other, because in the end: we are All learning about this thing in real time and if we don’t learn quicker, we will never beat it
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11. Get your Covid plan in order: We already had a room set to to go so we settled him there. It was stocked w/ a mini fridge & Pedialyte, Gatorade, ginger ale, a thermometer, alcohol pads, a mask, crackers and applesauce, extra sheets, PulseOx, towels, books, and trash bags.
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11 cont’d: We had Tylenol, Mucinex, NyQuil, vitamins, tea, honey and a Neti pot. I moved his go-bag to the door in case we needed to run out. When I took him to get tested, I made sure he had his medical history on his phone.
To be clear: We don’t really know what he had/has
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12. Y’all We canNOT let them rush & reopen: we DONT
-know enough about Covid
-have enough tests
-have a vaccine or cure
-know All the symptoms
And becuz of it its like we’re lambs being led to a Covid slaughter: some will survive but we wont really know why
~Hope this helps