A page in the parenting book that I missed - taking your daughter to get a COVID-19 test.

She called yesterday sick. She moved into her own apartment last week and now felt bad. Sounded horrible on the phone - coughing, sore throat, a fever of 100.3.

Mom kicked in gear.

She had a few of the symptoms but not others. Went to CVS and tested negative for strep. No real diagnosis - maybe a virus; antibiotics in case.

So I asked her if we could schedule a test.

I went to the state website listing COVID-19 testing sites - https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2524.htm 

A state-sponsored Optum site is in Lebanon so, with her approval, I registered her. She said she figured there was no way out of it.

The process is a tad cumbersome. It took several minutes to set up an account, and they require a really long password.

https://lhi.care/covidtesting 

Finally got to the questions about symptoms and exposure then picked a time. All the times were available for the next day.

Picked her up this morning - both wearing masks - and headed to the local high school. There were about six workers there - all wrapped in PPE. We were the only people there until at the end when another person arrived for testing.

After a few minutes checking her in - you have to show ID and remember to bring your patient ID number - she went behind a curtain.

It less than a minute they had swabbed both nostrils - an "invasion of my nose holes," she said.

Probably 10 minutes in all.

She said it wasn't that bad - she expected worse given how everyone was talking about it.

She thanked the governor for making it free - a big thing for a 20-year-old living on her own for the very first time.

I took her to Chick-fil-A to make up for what I hope was an unnecessary test. But you never know these days. Better safe than sorry since she works and has a roommate and lived with us only days before.

Now we wait up to 72 hours for results.