How many COVID tests have you gotten?

[Torn Mind]

One. It was at work and everyone was tested as a screen. I was negative as expected.

I have only been sick once in the last 12 months. I had symptoms of a mild flu. It was early March 2020, before Covid was really here. My wife had the same symptoms as I did and tried to get tested. The Covid tests were impossible to get at the time, so they gave her an influenza test instead. She was positive for influenza. I just assumed that I too had influenza.

But since then, the distancing and mask wearing have kept me healthier than I can ever remember. This is the first February in quite a few years that I don't have bronchitis.

The distancing measures have done a number on the flu this season.

Given the environment the flu operated in, it is likely adapted to humans trying to truck through mild cases of it and a general taboo against being OCD clean, along with the commonality of gatherings, big crowds, etc.

This could be a problem in future seasons however, as the "hardier" flu strains will have survived.

Covid-19 Story Tip: Flu Cases Dramatically Low So Far This Season

www.hopkinsmedicine.org

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COVID is more like an obsessive covert stalker that wants to rape someone.

 

[pete6032]

1, shortly after my mother tested positive & they happened to be doing free testing for the week. I tested negative.

1 antibody test too about a month later


It is? My insurance won't cover it if i don't have a doctors OK first. Probably easy enough to get the ok from my doctor but i just can't walk in & get tested without paying.

Public testing sites are free. If you get a test from a private provider they may charge your insurance, but no copay or deductible. Many private providers require you to display symptoms before getting tested. Most insurance providers have pledged to cover 100% of COVID-19 testing and treatment costs.

 

[hzl eyed grl]

I've gotten 0.

 

[Pohemi]

Nose swabs, twice. Both negatory.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Did you breathe your lover's air? Maybe you should get tested.

We've lived under the same roof for +25 years so I am not going to use that as an excuse to get tested. Besides, testing is a crap-shoot. If it were just the crappy, unreliable test itself it is the process and administration of handling samples poorly that makes the results highly questionable. Getting tested once is utterly worthless. Maybe testing three times at different testing locations through different providers may give you a statistical leverage but that's about it.

 

[pete6032]

We've lived under the same roof for +25 years so I am not going to use that as an excuse to get tested. Besides, testing is a crap-shoot. If it were just the crappy, unreliable test itself it is the process and administration of handling samples poorly that makes the results highly questionable. Getting tested once is utterly worthless. Maybe testing three times at different testing locations through different providers may give you a statistical leverage but that's about it.

Pro tip: obstruct your partner's airways during intercourse to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

 

[JM Aggie08]

None. We ain't doin' shit and not going anywhere/seeing anyone.

 

[dullard]

Besides, testing is a crap-shoot. If it were just the crappy, unreliable test itself it is the process and administration of handling samples poorly that makes the results highly questionable. Getting tested once is utterly worthless. Maybe testing three times at different testing locations through different providers may give you a statistical leverage but that's about it.

<-- Biomedical Equipment Designer - specifically PCR instruments to detect bacteria and viruses

Assuming we are still talking about Covid here, the one key thing that I wish people realized is that you need to test in the right time-frame window.

In the first few days after exposure, there is very little virus in you. It takes time for it to multiply and then more time for it to get into the sample matrix used for testing. So, if you are exposed Monday, get ill from the exposure, and then get tested Thursday, then there is a very good chance that you'll get a false negative result even with a perfect test and perfect sample handling. There just isn't enough virus to detect.

As the disease progresses, your body's immune system kicks in and you start clearing the virus out of your body. So, if you are tested 10+ days after exposure, then your body may have cleared most of the virus out and again the test might be a false negative.

You really want to get your test 6 to 8 days after your most likely exposure. 5 or 9 days after if you must. Otherwise you are just wasting your time getting tested.

I've seen and heard far too many people have a party on the weekend, get tested Monday when they are almost guaranteed to get a false negative, and then think that everything is okay.

 

[deadlyapp]

1 test, a few days prior to traveling home for Xmas to see my family. Negative.

Wife has had...2 tests I think? One which was a close contact scare and a rapid test, the other was PCR at the same time as myself.

 

[Brainonska511]

0, but my wife gets tested 1-2x a week by her large university employer. For me, getting a test hasn't been much of a concern: I've worked remotely for over the last 2 years, and I have generally low risk of exposure, since I only go out for groceries or to pick up takeout.

 

[Sonikku]

I've gotten sick with symptoms but was unable to get a test.