My attempts to get Covid tested in NJ vs NYC is insane.

In NJ, the 1st place I tried didn’t have appointments. There was no online check in. I waited 20 minutes in a line with no acknowledgement, no one starting paperwork or online check in. By the end of 20 minutes the line went down the block.

I tried at a CVS. The Minute Clinic form didn’t make it clear that it was happening through the drive through only. I don’t have a car, a Lyft dropped me off.

In NYC, I could book a time 2 days in advance. I filled out my insurance info ahead of time. I texted the center when I was there. I was seen within 5 minutes of showing up even though I was 10 minutes early. I was in the testing room for 5 minutes.

I get my results in 2-3 days.

I’m usually NJ’s biggest cheerleader, but WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO DO, NJ!? As numbers spike in my county, I am NOT waiting in line for hours with potentially sick people who aren’t social distancing.

Physically, it’s not as bad as people say the test is. It felt like getting water up my nose. My eyes watered a little. It was 10 seconds of minor discomfort.

When I embalm, it’s important to ensure the nasal cavities are well-embalmed since the sinus cavities tend to harbor bacteria. We rinse the cavity out & aspirate it with a little aspirator. We’ve been spritzing the sinuses with cavity fluid—heavy duty embalming fluid.

Then we pack the nasal cavity with cotton using extra long forceps. This is to keep liquids from purging through the nose. The point is that your sinuses can take a lot. They go very, very far back, shockingly far. & they can take A LOT of cotton.

The point is that a tiny swab for 10 seconds really isn’t a big deal.