My experience testing for COVID-19
The 2020s had a rough start: a virus caused countries to lock down across the globe. While this isn’t the first time a virus wreaks havoc worldwide, shut downs around the entire world is a concept we’ve all had to accept as the new normal.
Thankfully, we’re past the times in which testing was a problem. Back in March, one of my friends was presenting symptoms of the new virus and tried to get tested; however, she wasn’t allowed to simply because she hasn’t been out of the US in the past three months. Today, free testing around the nation is possible.
I live in San Diego, CA. Our county hasn’t been hit as hard by the virus as other California counties, though the numbers are still on the rise — 5,836 cases and 209 deaths reported as of right now.
Last week, while scrolling through Facebook, I saw an ad which read: “FREE COVID-19 testing. Register now”.
Thanks to LHI.Care, I signed up and booked an appointment for the 14th of May. There were about 10–15 other people waiting in a line outside, 6 feet apart. After waiting for what was about twenty minutes, it was finally my turn. When I entered the building, I had to verify whether the information on the paperwork was correct. After that, I had to wait for 2 other people to be tested — while keeping at least 6 feet from them. The medical stuff was wearing gloves, masks and a plastic-made cover over the masks.
In-between every person’s test, the staff cleaned the chair with disinfectants, changed their gloves, washed their hands, changed their masks — everything felt as safe as possible. The person who administered my test explained that the test takes roughly 10 seconds, might cause a little bit of discomfort and may cause my eyes to tear up. The doctor took a sterilized stick and inserted it in my nose, holding it in for about 10 seconds. It was a painful process, but — thankfully — it didn’t take long. After those 10 seconds, I was all ready to leave.
The results come in about 2–3 business days. In order to see your results, you have to authenticate with your phone number. Even though my results came negative, I’m still going to distance myself from groups for a while.
If you’re a California or Idaho resident, you can register on https://lhi.care/start for a free COVID-19 test. Otherwise, CVS has set up a few, free drive-through testing centers — you can see a list of those centers at https://cvshealth.com/covid-19/testing-locations
For registration purposes, some personal data such as name, address and phone number is required. Note: you can schedule appointments for centers located in your state of residence.