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Post by epeanymous on Jan 9, 2022 2:28:09 GMT
I got woken up on Wednesday morning by an alert from the health department — I had been exposed to someone with Covid. Since it was for a duration less than 15 minutes and I am vaxxed and boosted, I didn’t need to do anything, but I immediately booked a testing appointment for the first slot in my area.
At 11:40 on Friday morning.
I just got my negative results now, on Saturday evening.
There are no rapid tests at stores here. I ordered some online but they won’t be here for weeks, and most online sites I checked were sold out.
I mean, I am not dining out or gathering without masks right now, but/and that is 3.5 days from a health department notice to a negative result. This seems not ideal.
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Jili
Pearl Clutcher
SLPea
Posts: 4,363
Jun 26, 2014 1:26:48 GMT
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Post by Jili on Jan 9, 2022 2:33:33 GMT
It’s pretty tough where I am. That sounds about right. I did manage to snag a few tests at the store before Christmas— I have two boxes left. Fortunately I am tested weekly at work.
I went to a reputable site for a pcr test on December 20 (local community college). I had a rapid there, as well. That was negative. I never got my pcr results. My dh had a pcr later in the week at a different location. He never got his results either.
It’s all so hit and miss.
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Post by freecharlie on Jan 9, 2022 2:33:46 GMT
We got one with the influenza test at an urgent care right before Christmas.
Perhaps try there? They do one swab for a bunch of different things
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Post by Skellinton on Jan 9, 2022 2:34:36 GMT
Absolutely. No otc tests anywhere, at least one week wait for appointments if you can even get one, delays in results, and I saw easily 100 people waiting in line at Kaiser today waiting for their non appointment tests.
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Post by MichyM on Jan 9, 2022 2:36:51 GMT
Holy cow. You know where I live in relation to you.
If I had had your experience over the last 10 days, I’d be doing a happy dance.
How the heck you got a PCR scheduled for 2 days after being notified defies everything I’ve experienced, as well as my local friends and even my son’s partners experience here 3 weeks ago.
Consider yourself very fortunate.
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Post by supersoda on Jan 9, 2022 2:37:55 GMT
It is in Texas. Two of my kids had exposures and on Thursday the earliest PCR tests we could find were on Tuesday--and that was with a lot of digging. Most places didn't have anything until next Friday. Rapid tests are a bit easier to get, but we're concerned about their effectiveness in detecting omicron. And it's impossible to find the home kits in stores.
I bulk ordered home tests for my office about 10 days ago that were supposedly in stock and they only shipped yesterday. I ordered two different kinds of home tests from Amazon a couple of days ago and they are supposed to be here between Jan 13 and 21.
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Post by monklady123 on Jan 9, 2022 2:38:15 GMT
It's awful here. Long lines at testing places, no available appointments for days and days, appointments canceled, long waits for results.
I was able to snag some rapid tests from the Walmart website at 5:00 a.m. That's been my suggestion to everyone...get up early, and keep refreshing the page.
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Post by librarylady on Jan 9, 2022 2:43:48 GMT
The PCR tests do take 2-3 days for the results.
I thought it was best to wait 3-5 days after exposure in order to know if the virus was going to actually infect you, so your timing was all good and within reason.
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Post by librarylady on Jan 9, 2022 2:45:12 GMT
I am jealous that you have a health department that notifies you.
We don't have contact tracing here in Texas (thank you, Gov. Abbott).
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,489
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Jan 9, 2022 2:47:29 GMT
Yes! I was sick Christmas Eve. Started searching for testing Christmas Day. The soonest I could get tested was 12/29. I had a wonderful friend offer rapid tests. Took it on the 28th and was positive. When we went for the PCR the 29th, they handed me 4 tests to take home at the testing place. I figured it was Christmas and everything was closed. Maybe not.
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jan 9, 2022 2:52:13 GMT
I am in Ontario and as of Dec 30 PCR testing is only being done for very specific/limited groups and situations (first responders/health care/ high risk etc.). We have been told if you have any symptoms assume you are positive and isolate for a minimum of 5 days.
I work at a bank and we couldn’t open Friday or today because about 75% of our staff is out with symptoms or sick family
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iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,298 
Location: Michigan
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Post by iluvpink on Jan 9, 2022 3:16:52 GMT
I have been lucky I guess. I got tested last Sunday after traveling. I had to wait three hours in the parking lot of a local urgent care but that was it. Got the results next morning (PCR)
Started feeling a little off Monday night/Tuesday morning but then it felt like allergies so I waited until Wednesday to see. Definitely something going on so I went back to the urgent care. I waited about an hour and the got my results that evening (yup, have COVID).
I will say that my employer is a large university with a health system and they try to get you in there for testing when you report symptoms. However their first available appointment was Friday and it's a half hour for me for their closest testing site. The urgent care is ten minutes and no appt necessary, so I went with them and then self reported online. However it is PCR, not rapid.
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Post by auntkelly on Jan 9, 2022 3:29:01 GMT
I find it so frustrating that this has been around for two years and people are still having trouble getting tested.
I’m sure there are lots of people who don’t feel well, but go ahead and go to work thinking “I can’t afford to stay home every time I have a scratchy throat. It’s probably just allergies.”
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Post by epeanymous on Jan 9, 2022 3:31:45 GMT
Holy cow. You know where I live in relation to you. If I had had your experience over the last 10 days, I’d be doing a happy dance. How the heck you got a PCR scheduled for 2 days after being notified defies everything I’ve experienced, as well as my local friends and even my son’s partners experience here 3 weeks ago. Consider yourself very fortunate. I live a few blocks from the site in the neighborhood with the long on-foot lines that never move. Before winter break, though, I probably had to pick up one of my kids from school once every three weeks to be tested (he inherited my migraines so ticks just enough boxes for Covid symptoms) and I could always get him tested on the way home from school. This is nuts! I am sorry you had to deal with delays. |
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Post by shamrock on Jan 9, 2022 3:34:24 GMT
It’s rough here. Not impossible. Results that pre Omicron would take 1-2 days are now taking 3-5. The testing site that our school district has hired is better, 12-24 hours. It is only for students, staff and families of both.
Of course my son got sick on the 30. That testing facility, as well as the mass ones were closed. We had 3 appointments at various CVS locations on the 31. All were cancelled because staff shortages.then because of the holiday weekend everything was closed for a few days. That made all the sites extra busy this week when they reopened.
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kate
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,533
Location: The city that doesn't sleep
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 3:30:05 GMT
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Post by kate on Jan 9, 2022 3:35:59 GMT
Testing in the US is an embarrassment. We have testing tents or vans every couple of blocks in my neighborhood, and they all have lines. My poor friend stood on line for a couple of hours in the freezing cold for her test, because she was feeling rotten (and was indeed positive). Really crummy for her, and not too safe for the people standing near her in line. Yes, everyone was masked and outdoors, but leaving a 6' gap on a line in NYC is just asking to be cut!  I am hoarding the at-home tests we scored after Christmas (just enough for each member of the household to take one), and I have a few more coming at the end of the month - I hope - from Amazon. Even our weekly tests at school are super delayed because of the backlog at the labs. |
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,734
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Jan 9, 2022 3:38:00 GMT
DS was exposed at work on a Friday, he started feeling ill on Monday. I was able to schedule a test for Wednesday morning and didn’t get the results until this morning (Saturday). This is the longest it’s ever taken to get results.
I didn’t bother looking for a rapid test. A couple of family members told me that they are extremely hard to find (I’m in Los Angeles county).
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,632
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jan 9, 2022 3:38:18 GMT
It's awful here. Long lines at testing places, no available appointments for days and days, appointments canceled, long waits for results. I was able to snag some rapid tests from the Walmart website at 5:00 a.m. That's been my suggestion to everyone...get up early, and keep refreshing the page. Yes, found some on cvs.com the other night the same way. |
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PLurker
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,752
Location: Behind the Cheddar Curtain
Jun 28, 2014 3:48:49 GMT
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Post by PLurker on Jan 9, 2022 3:44:37 GMT
If not for the college in this little town it would be more difficult. Before our Christmas Eve get together we all got tested pretty easily. I (and DS) got it at drive thru Walgreens in town. Campus testing was closed down for break. After Christmas it has been a lot longer wait. Except campus testing is reopened and I looked and lots of daily testing available to the students and community. (nice unexpected perk of living here)
No in home tests to be found in store(s) though. I ordered online just to have on hand in case. Expected by the 18th.
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Post by mom on Jan 9, 2022 3:45:56 GMT
My son is quarantined in his apartment this weekend - Thursday he started with headaches and by Friday he was throwing up and had body aches. Called Friday am to get into somewhere to get a test and the first available is Wednesday. I met his girlfriend and gave her the last home test I had and she took it to him. He was negative on the home test but his lymph nodes are swollen and his throat hurts so I am assuming he will eventually test positive.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,142
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Jan 9, 2022 3:50:42 GMT
It's hard around here to get appointments and it takes a while to get the results.
A friend spent part of the past week trying to schedule a PCR test so his son can return to college and called a dozen places before he could find a place with availability 2+ weeks out.
My officemate took a test on 12/27 and just got the results on 1/6 - utterly useless at that point.
Another co-worker scheduled an appointment and when she got to the place, they were closed. It took 3 more days to get a test then 3 more days for the results. For her, not only was it useless, she was negative so she was isolated all that time for no reason.
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Post by Laurie on Jan 9, 2022 3:57:12 GMT
We can get tested the same day here. At home tests are also available on the shelves.
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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 9, 2022 4:02:56 GMT
At this point I think anyone with symptoms should just assume they have it and quarantine. I wouldn’t need or seek out a test as yes, they are difficult to get anyway.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Jan 9, 2022 4:10:07 GMT
Rapid tests are hard to find here but are $130 and at home tests impossible to find. Someone posted a drone photo today of people lined up in cars for testing at our Kaiser it was about a mile long maybe longer. Crazy. It’s been this way since around Christmas from reports.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,028
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Post by mimima on Jan 9, 2022 4:14:52 GMT
My son tested positive on Monday with an at home test, but the first PCR test he could get was Friday.
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Post by Skellinton on Jan 9, 2022 4:29:31 GMT
At this point I think anyone with symptoms should just assume they have it and quarantine. I wouldn’t need or seek out a test as yes, they are difficult to get anyway. That is not realistic, I have had a runny nose and coughs for 2 weeks, I have had 3 covid tests, all negative. If I quarantined or assumed I was positive my class would likely have to shut down as there is no one who could cover all my shifts. Also we have bills to pay and 3 cats to support. I am a pre-K teacher and pretty much all winter I have a runny nose and slight cough. In the spring I have allergies, it isn’t like I can just quarantine for the next 6 months. |
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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 9, 2022 4:30:55 GMT
At this point I think anyone with symptoms should just assume they have it and quarantine. I wouldn’t need or seek out a test as yes, they are difficult to get anyway. That is not realistic, I have had a runny nose and coughs for 2 weeks, I have had 3 covid tests, all negative. If I quarantined or assumed I was positive my class would likely have to shut down as there is no one who could cover all my shifts. Also we have bills to pay and 3 cats to support. I am a pre-K teacher and pretty much all winter I have a runny nose and slight cough. In the spring I have allergies, it isn’t like I can just quarantine for the next 6 months. ok well if You’ve had negative tests for weeks of course you wouldn’t assume you were positive. |
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Post by Skellinton on Jan 9, 2022 4:34:15 GMT
That is not realistic, I have had a runny nose and coughs for 2 weeks, I have had 3 covid tests, all negative. If I quarantined or assumed I was positive my class would likely have to shut down as there is no one who could cover all my shifts. Also we have bills to pay and 3 cats to support. I am a pre-K teacher and pretty much all winter I have a runny nose and slight cough. In the spring I have allergies, it isn’t like I can just quarantine for the next 6 months. ok well if You’ve had negative tests for weeks of course you wouldn’t assume you were positive. I had 3 tests this week because I had several exposures over the week (2 teachers and at least 3 kids). I was very lucky and doubt I will be so lucky in the future. Should I just quarantine if I can’t get tests? |
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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 9, 2022 4:38:48 GMT
ok well if You’ve had negative tests for weeks of course you wouldn’t assume you were positive. I had 3 tests this week because I had several exposures over the week (2 teachers and at least 3 kids). I was very lucky and doubt I will be so lucky in the future. Should I just quarantine if I can’t get tests? are you being repeatedly exposed and developing new symptoms? |
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Post by epeanymous on Jan 9, 2022 4:53:02 GMT
At this point I think anyone with symptoms should just assume they have it and quarantine. I wouldn’t need or seek out a test as yes, they are difficult to get anyway. But I was testing because I had a documented exposure. Not because I had symptoms. I need to know if it is ok for me to go into my office to teach online  . |
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