I wasn’t going to post to this since I am already ignoring the first Covid string but I just tested positive for the first time, got the results about an hour ago.
for context my son and I got the single dose j&j vaccine in April, my wife got her Phizer second dose in April as well. On Tuesday this week I woke up with what I thought was a cold. That is, congested, dry cough, aches and pains and fatigue. By the late morning i was experiencing cold sweats and when lunch came around I couldn’t taste any of my food. This motivated me to get tested ASAP.
here in Northern California right now it is much easier to get initially vaccinated or boosted than it is to be tested. I called my healthcare provider and the soonest appointment I could get was 7 days out. They told me to make a phone appointment with an md to see if the md could get me tested faster. I made the appointment and got a call back to reschedule because the md was out sick. I then drove to two community sites in the next city over. The first stopped me at the gate to inform me and many others that the ran out of test kits and to come back tomorrow. I drove to the next site listed only to find that thru had just closed but I spoke to the person at the gate who told me he was only there to tell people they ran out of testkits hours earlier. The next morning (weds.) my wife and I were in our car and in line by 8:20, about 30 cars back. The site was supposed to start testing at 9 but started early as my wife were in our way home by 9:05. By the time we left there were over 200 cars in line
Misc. note: while looking for local test sites I also found several booster vaccination sites that had availability that same day, sometimes with the hour I was on their site. This was particularly true of Walgreens and cvs.
my wife didn’t have any symptoms when she got tested but developed the same symptoms I had by weds. Yesterday (thurs) I was feeling better she was feeling worse. We both got texts earlier this morning indications Our test results are available. I’m positive she is negative. I think she tested too soon and am taking her in for another test this morning.
She won’t call in sick (I’ve been out all week, mostly sleeping on the couch) because of some work rule which won’t allow her to be paid for sick days next to a holiday. I told her to forget about the money and id pay her her salary for the day before taxes but she still won’t take the day off (she is worried about the backlog off that would be created as she is covering for other coworkers on vacation). She did agree to let me take her in for another test today I just wish it was a rapid test. I would take her to an airport for a rapid test but think we need to have a boarding pass to HI to be eligible for their rapid test.
this is very frustrating for me because I’m certain that my wife got sick because of me and it’s always taken her longer to recover from colds and flus (as in she has had dry coughs for months). Ironically I was more worried about my son getting Covid since we both got the J & J vaccine but he seems fine.
I’m coming out of the above with a few tips/lessons:
1. Don’t get tested and boosted at the same time. No need to get into the details as I’m sure some possibly most of you that read this far already know.
2. If you received the single does j&j vaccine you are better off getting the Pfizer or moderna booster. Again no need to go into the details as to why.
3. Door dash offers a service where they will deliver a pcr test to you the same day but it’s not a rapid test, cost is $120.
4. Last but not least, don’t wait days for an appointment to be tested, initially vaccinated or boosted. Do a simple online check for “local Covid testing and vaccination services” if you can’t get either quickly from your primary healthcare provider.
a little recognition: I don’t know what the educational back ground is of the people at the test site I last went to and which I will be at again this morning but they have been exposing themselves and by extension their families To Covid several hundred times a day for several months probably over a year, doubt it is for the money but even if it is, I salute them. If they had a tip jar out I would be putting money into it am would bet a lot of people being tested would. I saw plenty of $100k cars inline infront of and behind me.
End of rant, I need to get up an take care of my wife/better half/best friend/love of my life who I got sick. time to deal with reality this isn’t purely academic for me anymore.
