Told Tonight There are ZERO Tests Here. Fever Climbing Above 102

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why you all thought the US was EVER going to be able to test every single one of us once, if not more than once. That simply isn't feasible, but more importantly NOT LOGICAL.

How many of us have gone to the doctor and gotten a negative flu test, and then told "it's just a random virus, go home"? They don't test for any and all viruses. You know why? Because it doesn't make sense to. Guess what South Korea has found out from all their testing? MOST people test negative. If every Larla on DCUM was given free access to tests, they'd be testing once a day and draining valuable resources. I'd rather these people be working toward a vaccine/treatment than a damn test.

Oh and for those of you who are saying a test would change your behavior.... you're being told that if you are sick, act like you have it. That's your cue to change your damn behavior, ffs. Listen.

+1
focus on treatment and expanding facilities not on testing. it was would be better if we had tests but that’s not happening and focusing on it is at this point counter productive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To pp’s who said you can get tested now: not in dc. They’re still demanding proof of exposure to someone who has tested positive and/or the combination of all of these: travel to China (not even Italy) in the last couple of weeks + high fever, and according to one dc doh official I spoke with, respiratory distress. We just left our doctor after being there all morning. We were just out of state 3 weeks ago with known exposure. Couldn’t get tested because “14 day had passed.” So there’s also time frame restrictions. Yes, we’re symptomatic (of course). Without more tests, the angels of our health care system are scared to risk wasting a single one. That means no testing, basically. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating, the doctors are doing their best, and they have no ability to do what they would do for any other disease that is testable: test.

He told us if we were residents of another state we might fare slightly better. This is horrific, and dc seems even more horrific than other places. We are flying completely blind.

I’m appalled by those who say this doesn’t matter anyway. For my own sanity, I’m trying to tell myself that we’re all operating in different stages of grief, moment to moment. Clearly many are still in the first stage.

WHY DIDNT YOU STAY HOME?? you’re obviously not that sick. you are adding to the spread. STAY HOME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To pp’s who said you can get tested now: not in dc. They’re still demanding proof of exposure to someone who has tested positive and/or the combination of all of these: travel to China (not even Italy) in the last couple of weeks + high fever, and according to one dc doh official I spoke with, respiratory distress. We just left our doctor after being there all morning. We were just out of state 3 weeks ago with known exposure. Couldn’t get tested because “14 day had passed.” So there’s also time frame restrictions. Yes, we’re symptomatic (of course). Without more tests, the angels of our health care system are scared to risk wasting a single one. That means no testing, basically. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating, the doctors are doing their best, and they have no ability to do what they would do for any other disease that is testable: test.

He told us if we were residents of another state we might fare slightly better. This is horrific, and dc seems even more horrific than other places. We are flying completely blind.

I’m appalled by those who say this doesn’t matter anyway. For my own sanity, I’m trying to tell myself that we’re all operating in different stages of grief, moment to moment. Clearly many are still in the first stage.

I understand why you would like to know, but given that there is no treatment for mild to moderate cases, just stay home and treat it like any other virus. Let people know you may have it.

[Anonymous]

OP, assume you have COVID and self-quarantine. Given the incompetence of this administration, we are limited on tests. This is a known factor. Leave the tests to those who NEED to be in constant contact with others, like our healthcare workers. If you get sick and quarantine, you will likely recover because you are healthy. If a doctor or nurse get sick, we take away one person who can truly make a difference in some sick person's life.

Do your part, OP, and stay home and away from others. Assume you have COVID 19.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There *are*, in fact, tests on this planet. People who are saying there are no tests are wrong. There just aren't tests in the US, and the ones we do have are being saved for the critically ill, health care workers, and apparently the NBA. At least the first two make sense, but even then there still aren't enough.

We all understand there is no treatment. I'm the poster who compared the "there is no treatment" crowd to the "it's just a bad flu" crowd, and my point was that in both cases people are thinking as individuals, concerned only with themselves. If you get covid, you will probably be fine, but no one actually gives a sht about you - the real issue is that you may spread the virus to someone who won't be fine. We are trying to protect the most vulnerable. This is about community and our moral obligations to one another.

Similarly, if you, a single individual, do not get a test, it will be fine. But again, no one gives a sht about any one individual here. The lack of tests - IN THE US, NOT ON PLANET EARTH - is a systemic failure indicative of larger problems that will prevent us from handling this properly and it is going to cost lives. Testing OP is not just for OP. It's also for the health care workers who interacted with her. You think they like not knowing whether or not she actually has it, whether or not they've been exposed? You think it's effective to take a health care worker offline while they wait two weeks to see whether or not they've been exposed (because guess who else can't get a test...)? You think it's helpful to send her back to her community without a clear answer for those she's been in contact with? You think the WHO is stressing testing just because it amuses them?

The problem with pandemics is that dealing with them requires that everyone NOT be a selfish, narcissistic a$$hole. It requires systemic, holistic thinking, which in this country basically makes you a communist. The US' downfall here will be that selfish narcissim is the very core of its entire being, with the most selfish, incompetent, narcissist of all leading the response. [/

No country, other than South Korea, tested widely enough to include mild asymptomatic cases. Should we have more tests? Yes. But if you aren’t a health care worker or other essential worker interacting directly with public, or in a high risk group, you don’t “need” a test. Stay home and assume you do,have Covid 19.. And by the way, 90 percent of the limited tests being given are coming back negative.

Incredibly well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There *are*, in fact, tests on this planet. People who are saying there are no tests are wrong. There just aren't tests in the US, and the ones we do have are being saved for the critically ill, health care workers, and apparently the NBA. At least the first two make sense, but even then there still aren't enough.

We all understand there is no treatment. I'm the poster who compared the "there is no treatment" crowd to the "it's just a bad flu" crowd, and my point was that in both cases people are thinking as individuals, concerned only with themselves. If you get covid, you will probably be fine, but no one actually gives a sht about you - the real issue is that you may spread the virus to someone who won't be fine. We are trying to protect the most vulnerable. This is about community and our moral obligations to one another.

Similarly, if you, a single individual, do not get a test, it will be fine. But again, no one gives a sht about any one individual here. The lack of tests - IN THE US, NOT ON PLANET EARTH - is a systemic failure indicative of larger problems that will prevent us from handling this properly and it is going to cost lives. Testing OP is not just for OP. It's also for the health care workers who interacted with her. You think they like not knowing whether or not she actually has it, whether or not they've been exposed? You think it's effective to take a health care worker offline while they wait two weeks to see whether or not they've been exposed (because guess who else can't get a test...)? You think it's helpful to send her back to her community without a clear answer for those she's been in contact with? You think the WHO is stressing testing just because it amuses them?

The problem with pandemics is that dealing with them requires that everyone NOT be a selfish, narcissistic a$$hole. It requires systemic, holistic thinking, which in this country basically makes you a communist. The US' downfall here will be that selfish narcissim is the very core of its entire being, with the most selfish, incompetent, narcissist of all leading the response.

Nailed it. +100000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said they expected everyone in the country to be tested multiple times. But if someone feels sick or Los in close contAct with a positive person, there should be enough tests. There’s not.

+1

Yes, this was covered by the experts months ago. We need to test people presenting with symptoms. Contact tracing for positive results. And testing those people. Drive through testing beyond that would be great to diagnose people with mild symptoms.

We aren’t even doing the first thing.

It’s ridiculous that the experts have been pushing this for MONTHS and we still are so far behind.

They don’t do in depth contact tracing once there is community spread.

I thought this, too.

Plus, they are now noticing suspected community spread in SK, so (as many had guessed) mass testing isn't perfect. Once again, it just flattens the curve. That's the only way to manage this in today's world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you know anyone who has it? Any idea where you got it?

This is a stupid question at this point in time. With the lack of testing capability, we don't know who has it and who doesn't and its best to assume it is widespread and that's why folks need to STAY HOME! Slow the spread. We all know someone who has it right now, we just don't have the tests.

I understand six degrees and all of that, but where is this coming from?

Epidemiologists estimate that right now about 1% of the US population is infected

Link?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/marty-makary-on-coronavirus-in-the-us-183558545.html

This is a think piece, nothing based on evidence. The key thing this single professor at Hopkins says is “I think we have between 50,000 and half a million cases right now walking around in the United States.” Think is the key word. No evidence, just pure conjecture. Don't quote this stuff and stop spreading out and out misinformation. By the way 500,000 people is .1% of the US population, not anywhere near 1%. Math is your friend.

You can’t have the “evidence” you want unless we screen 100% of our population, you dotard! With what tests?

[Anonymous]

The reason to get tested is that otherwise, pretty much everyone in a few days will have been a contact of someone suspected of having covid, but not confirmed. And not everyone can stay home for 2 weeks, but in the meantime, we dont know. I dont mean people who could stay home and just dont want to, I mean health care workers, first responders, grocery store managers, the folks who are taking care of the kids of said critical workers-all the folks on the front lines who we need to keep healthy and/or keep away from others.

Example; I am home with flu like symptoms and now my daughter has a mild cold. Last week, before everything went to defcon 4 and when I was feeling just a little achey/congested, my kid spent a lot of time with a classmate. Her mom works as an oncology nurse. Now, does she go into work and possibly infect other vulnerable patients? If I could test and let her know its not covid or it is, then she can get a test and vice versa. But without her having symptoms and me not knowing what mine are from, she is not able to test and yet is also desperately needed at work but maybe also compromising others...you see how this works? My state (georgia) is testing at best 150-200 people a day, as of today. This is where the CDC is located for god sakes.

Maybe OP doesn't need a test but widespread testing--including the 90% negative rate that S. Korea was getting--allows us to make better decisions about who else *should* be tested, how long to self quarantine, who was in contact, etc. and frankly, everyone who is on the front lines or works with vulnerable populations should be able to be tested, which is not happening now.


the gov is a complete shitshow on all this, states are left to their own devices--literally--while infighting, lack of direction and 2 months of denial have created complete chaos. I get the op's anger, I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you to those who posted kind responses. I didn’t post because I don’t know what the basic treatments are. I didn’t post because I’m somehow unaware that many people treat at home.

I posted because I actually think it’s really important that we track this disease, yet we can’t. I actually think it’s important to know who has this and who doesn’t. People who have this disease will get missed, and yes, treatment might matter for some of them.

I posted because I actually think it’s important that people who don’t hav the disease might get treated while others wait for help. We won’t have any idea where the disease is peaking or surging or waning or anything.

I posted because I actually think it’s important to know whether the disease is rising, falling, peaking, spreading, or anything—yet we will just keep closing everything, putting tons and tons of people out of jobs. Students out of schools and access to food in some cases. We will totally wreck what is left of our economy without any idea what we’re doing.

Whether our complete inability to track this disease matters for my treatment or those in my family isn’t the key point (although the need for total quarantine, or the need for oxygen assistance, especially for someone who is the primary caregiver for that family member with Type 1 diabetes I mentioned, and who is the primary caregiver for kids, is not irrelevant in my mind). The point is you cannot get a test. You cannot make decisions about quarantine even inside your own home; you simply must quarantine, despite that you have no one else to help with your family because you decided last week that the responsible thing to do was pay people who help you but not ask them not to come in to work right now. You cannot contribute to the understanding of this disease. And if it would affect treatment, well, that’s gone too.

Of course I’m stuck here posting. I cannot get tested, and I’ve quarantined myself. I will be calling the press, but honestly, as the title of my post tried to convey, I posted because I wanted to let people know that there might be another case, but also that we literally cannot find out. Good night.

Wanted to bump this. Wish this had been the first post, but op, this sucks. Sorry.

OP, we are in same boat. Family member just came back from European country with high number of cases ( but not Italy). Literally began a fever the evening off the plane. All symptoms - fever, cough runny nose, myalgia, headache chills. No COVID testing to be found. Why do we care? Because if family member is positive - that would trigger dozens of other people to self-quarantine. We would notify airline who would notify passengers seated nearby. School and work places would notify others.

Absent an official “positive test”, none of this happens. Thus, the virus spreads. Not to mention the huge precaution gymnastics we are going thru in our tiny 1 bathroom home that would not be necessary for flu or common cold or bronchitis, none of which have as high a transmission rate.

No testing also means that MD state cannot plan. They really have no idea how big the iceberg is under the water line.

You will see in a week or two hospitals will be overwhelmed. If we had accurate testing we could avoid this. We will not be able to go back to any loosening of movement restrictions without high volume testing. The damage to the economy and the chaos will just continue until we are running 100K plus tests a day nationwide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why you all thought the US was EVER going to be able to test every single one of us once, if not more than once. That simply isn't feasible, but more importantly NOT LOGICAL.

How many of us have gone to the doctor and gotten a negative flu test, and then told "it's just a random virus, go home"? They don't test for any and all viruses. You know why? Because it doesn't make sense to. Guess what South Korea has found out from all their testing? MOST people test negative. If every Larla on DCUM was given free access to tests, they'd be testing once a day and draining valuable resources. I'd rather these people be working toward a vaccine/treatment than a damn test.

Oh and for those of you who are saying a test would change your behavior.... you're being told that if you are sick, act like you have it. That's your cue to change your damn behavior, ffs. Listen.

+1
focus on treatment and expanding facilities not on testing. it was would be better if we had tests but that’s not happening and focusing on it is at this point counter productive.

But who do you treat and how if you can't test them? We are blind without tests. They are still critical moving forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you know anyone who has it? Any idea where you got it?

This is a stupid question at this point in time. With the lack of testing capability, we don't know who has it and who doesn't and its best to assume it is widespread and that's why folks need to STAY HOME! Slow the spread. We all know someone who has it right now, we just don't have the tests.

I understand six degrees and all of that, but where is this coming from?

Epidemiologists estimate that right now about 1% of the US population is infected

Link?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/marty-makary-on-coronavirus-in-the-us-183558545.html

This is a think piece, nothing based on evidence. The key thing this single professor at Hopkins says is “I think we have between 50,000 and half a million cases right now walking around in the United States.” Think is the key word. No evidence, just pure conjecture. Don't quote this stuff and stop spreading out and out misinformation. By the way 500,000 people is .1% of the US population, not anywhere near 1%. Math is your friend.

You can’t have the “evidence” you want unless we screen 100% of our population, you dotard! With what tests?

Don't get angry at PP just because you can't do math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There *are*, in fact, tests on this planet. People who are saying there are no tests are wrong. There just aren't tests in the US, and the ones we do have are being saved for the critically ill, health care workers, and apparently the NBA. At least the first two make sense, but even then there still aren't enough.

We all understand there is no treatment. I'm the poster who compared the "there is no treatment" crowd to the "it's just a bad flu" crowd, and my point was that in both cases people are thinking as individuals, concerned only with themselves. If you get covid, you will probably be fine, but no one actually gives a sht about you - the real issue is that you may spread the virus to someone who won't be fine. We are trying to protect the most vulnerable. This is about community and our moral obligations to one another.

Similarly, if you, a single individual, do not get a test, it will be fine. But again, no one gives a sht about any one individual here. The lack of tests - IN THE US, NOT ON PLANET EARTH - is a systemic failure indicative of larger problems that will prevent us from handling this properly and it is going to cost lives. Testing OP is not just for OP. It's also for the health care workers who interacted with her. You think they like not knowing whether or not she actually has it, whether or not they've been exposed? You think it's effective to take a health care worker offline while they wait two weeks to see whether or not they've been exposed (because guess who else can't get a test...)? You think it's helpful to send her back to her community without a clear answer for those she's been in contact with? You think the WHO is stressing testing just because it amuses them?

The problem with pandemics is that dealing with them requires that everyone NOT be a selfish, narcissistic a$$hole. It requires systemic, holistic thinking, which in this country basically makes you a communist. The US' downfall here will be that selfish narcissim is the very core of its entire being, with the most selfish, incompetent, narcissist of all leading the response.

Nailed it. +100000

+1

[Anonymous]

Our employer has offered two extra weeks of sick pay for anyone who needs to stay home because they or a household member has CoVID-19 or was exposed. But without testing... how can we know if a little nagging cough is even an issue? Employer is not offering those two weeks for “most likely allergies.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I don't think the tests are even that accurate, especially for when symptoms first appear.

I have no direct knowledge of that, it's just the overall sense that I get when looking at the numbers.

A sense you get? WTF!