A Covid Test in May

I am now waiting 10 minutes for a Covid test to sit in a tube of solution.  I don't have symptoms, and I haven't been in close proximity with anyone who is sick--at least, not that I know of.  I was in a crowded church on Sunday, and I still shudder a bit when I hear people cough.

I am testing myself because I'm headed to Williamsburg to see my parents today.  They are in their 80's, and I want them to stay healthy as long as possible.  I do see the irony, in that they have more interactions with more people than I do.

I used one of the test kits that I ordered free from the government, just before May 11, the pandemic emergency official end date.  I now have a supply of kits, but with so much disease out there, it's hard to know exactly when to use them, except for a day like today, when I'm going to see my parents, who live in a continuing care community with lots of other people at risk.

I have now used a wide variety of kits.  This one has me soaking the swab in the tube of liquid and then soaking a test strip in the tube of liquid.  It's much easier than putting drops on the test strip, especially the kits constructed of non-flexible plastic droppers.

I'm happy to report that my test shows that I don't have Covid.  I think of all the people I know who have tested positive, a wide range of people, from those who have taken every precaution to those who have taken none.  Why am I so lucky?

In part, it's a matter of luck.  We don't have jobs that require lots of interactions with living, breathing humans in person.  In pre-pandemic times, we did get a respiratory illness once a year, probably from our students.  Online classes solve that issue.

Yesterday I wondered if I might be spared, as the disease seems to be less severe over time, as more of us have more immunity, which hopefully will lead to less disease spread.  I am not as careful with masks as I once was, but it's good to remember how useful they can be.

Let me bring this blog post to a close and get ready for this trip.  It's more hours to get to my parents than it was from my seminary apartment, but it might be an easier trip because I don't have to get out of DC first.