[jyl]

Two PCR/nasal swab tests. Very quick, felt like getting water in your sinuses when swimming. Uncomfortable the first time, no big deal the second time.

I had a rapidly worsening sore throat and flu like symptoms, wondered if I had Covid, test #1 negative report in 36 hr, throat got worse to the point that I couldn’t swallow easily, thought maybe strep, went to Urgent Care, they diagnosed tonsillar abscess, also gave me test #2, negative report in 24 hr. Sent me to ED, between the actual emergency cases they hatched up a plan, moved me to a room, numbed my throat until I literally couldn’t swallow, then poked the back of my throat with a huge needle trying to aspirate the abscess. Interrupted by my periodic retching into a bag - when you can’t swallow, it’s not good - then finally announced that the abscess was not drained but I’d started on penicillin and could go home when I was able to swallow, which took another couple hours. Two days later I was mostly better and at the beach, confidently Covid-negative.

It’s still not that easy to get tested here, if you’re having symptoms no problem, but if you just want to know - say, you’re going to visit your aged parents - you have to make up symptoms or find another loophole.

The PCR testing is taking too long to come back now, which makes them less useful. Saliva tests using LAMP are faster but accuracy issues have slowed their approval. The typical LAMP saliva test has a significant false negative rate, more accurate ones have recently been developed.