You stay in your car and wait. And wait some more. And then they swab your nose. That’s about it.
nd We drove away to a vacation spot hours from our home. We chose it as a reward. Our family had been staying home religiously since the beginning of the pandemic, and everyone was feeling it was time to break free as responsibly as we could. We chose a location that was far enough away from the southern Ontario city centers that it wouldn’t have a crowded beach. It was too far to go for the weekend, let alone a day trip. We camped. We stayed in a lovely hotel. And we ate at restaurants with masks on and sanitized our hands about twelve times a day.
And then we got home, and my headache started. Slight at first, and then it was almost pounding. I felt a slight wheeziness in my chest and I was tired, oh so tired. Great- this is it, I thought. Since we live with my father who is in his 80s, keeping the virus away from our home has been paramount at all times, (except maybe, during that week on vacation. He didn’t come with us). I knew I needed to get tested.
And so, I Googled “get tested for COVID-19” and found out the hospital down the street has a drive-through center set up. Perfect! No appointment was necessary.
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I strapped on my mask, tucked my sanitizer into my purse like a sword going into battle, and got in the car. The hospital is about five minutes away.
When I arrived, a clear white sign with an arrow pointed to the first level of the paid parking garage. “COVID-19 Testing”. I turned in, not a car in sight. What timing!
“Do you have an appointment?” an attendant asked abruptly, appearing quickly from her booth. “No.” “You’re down the road then, straight there.” She pointed to the winding path leading away from the hospital, down which a long line of cars sat roasting in the hot early August late morning sun.
“Thanks,” I sighed and resigned myself to reality, pulling ahead.
Another attendant, presumably a nurse, approached the passenger side of my car, from the sidewalk. She had a large umbrella overhead, to shade herself in what must have been a long shift spent repeating the same phrases over and over. No, I didn’t have an appointment. Yes, I felt I had symptoms. No, I hadn’t left the country recently. Yes, I would wait. One and a half to two hours, I was told. (It proved to be an accurate estimate).
One thing is for certain in the seemingly-endless coronavirus waiting room line up. Everyone feels that much safer sitting in their cars. Of course, more people should turn off their engines, (hey, two hours is a long time to idle, guys!), but being able to roll up your windows to keep everyone else’s breath far away from you is comforting.
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It’s a simple system. You wait and inch forward. Once in line, you are led to a parking space. And then into another line, where they gather your personal information and ask about your symptoms, once more. A doctor finally sees you, all while you sit in your car. They ask you how you feel, and tell you, “well, we now have to assume everything is COVID,” which is actually reassuring because you know you will then be tested.
And then, finally, it happens. A nice guy with a long swab comes to see you. I couldn’t help but laugh. He laughed too. It’s such a ridiculous situation to be sitting in your car while somebody in PPE sticks a long skewer up your nose, makes you wince and says loudly, “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, WE’RE DONE!”
The process is harmless. It’s easy and doesn’t hurt. It does make your eyes water, and it feels very much like you just got a bad dose of water right up your nose, but the feeling goes away once the swab is taken out. You then go home, self isolate for about two days, and wait for your results. If you test negative for the virus as I did, (thanking my lucky stars), your results will show up online, where you can check them using your health card. If they are positive, the results also show up online, and a doctor will call you to give you medical advice and remind you to go into quarantine. Presumably, they also remind you to go to the emergency room if things get worse.
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Just about anyone can be tested for COVID-19 now, in Ontario, and it is well worth doing. If you think you may have been exposed, or you suspect you have symptoms, do it. You can only gain from the experience, and there really is nothing to lose. In fact, we all win when you get tested. Stay safe, do the right thing, and stay healthy.
photo credits: Damir Sencar/Shutterstock.com
