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

[Anonymous]

People saying it doesnt matter if OP is tested or not are just so dumb. . . .sure, OP should act like they have it. BUT we need to know how many people have this. If we are EVER going to get our normal lives back, we need to know wtf is going on....how it is spreading. who is getting it...what happens to them, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is horrible. Contact the media. I got coverage for my family’s situation. Reporters are answering and engaging on these issues.

Good luck.

I will. We have been doing everything “right,” but community spread is here. Two of my family members have underlying conditions, including someone with type 1 diabetes. Yet we can’t even get a test.

And to the pp who asked what we would do differently, I don’t even have the space for you in my universe right now. You try having a family with underlying conditions that would very likely need significant respiratory help—something you would do everything in your power to get—and get back to me. I’m sorry, but go away.

There are no tests to give you. You quarantine yourself in a bedroom and if you have multiple bathrooms you use one and don't share. Someone brings you food, drink and medicine every few hours. If it gets bad, call 911 or go to the ER.

Is there any specific recommended food and drink to help "flush" system? What specific medicine helps?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Called three different doctors. Told there are now ZERO tests at GW, ZERO at Georgetown, DOH has no answers. Hoping for more tests to come in, but three of my PCP’s patients were turned away, just today, after waiting hours at GW.

I am white, wealthy, and have very good doctors. There are no tests right now.

DC is handling this horribly. None of them know what's going on. Raheem Kassam reported on this.

[Anonymous]

Is there anything people can do to find out retroactively — after they’ve recovered — if they *did* have it? Will they still test positive after the fact — e.g., with antibodies — when more tests are eventually available? Or can you save a swab like with a QTip or any sample now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our 80 year old neighbor was also told today at Fairfax Inova that there were NO tests available in Fairfax right now.

What the Ever Loving Hell?

For how many weeks have we been told:

"A million tests are coming.... middle of next week"???

aren't you supposed to be able to get tested at LabCorps now or something?

Isn't Google doing some kind of testing quiz that will tell you where to get tests?

Do you need to fly to Ohio to get a test?

[Anonymous]

Rest, stay hydrated. If you have significant breathing issues that you can't resolve with a humidifier or steamy shower go to the hospital. Otherwise, ride it out at home.

Do you have Tylenol, chicken soup, Gatorade?

[Anonymous]

OP, what sort of advice were you given in terms of getting help, where to go for help, etc? Everyone says to “manage at home” but until when? Obviously you don’t want to wait until you’re gasping for air but the NYT podcast said patients can crash pretty quickly and even if you’re home someone should be monitoring you in case you need help fast. And then where do you? Go to an ER and call them from outside? What’s the number? Call an ambulance?

I’m frustrated by the lack of testing but it’s indicative of a bigger problem that’s about to get worse. The lack of information is going to kill people.

[Anonymous]

If you can fly to Haiti they will test you.

/s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there anything people can do to find out retroactively — after they’ve recovered — if they *did* have it? Will they still test positive after the fact — e.g., with antibodies — when more tests are eventually available? Or can you save a swab like with a QTip or any sample now?

I think yes, we will be able to identify healed cases. There are patients in China that are still showing the antibodies after they have recovered. But at this point the priority is on making more tests and then testing those with acute symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again: To that same PP—more than that, let’s say it’s NOT coronavirus. That’s one less person clogging up the works treating a presumed case.

You would not be treated any differently as a presumed case vs. an unknown case, because there is nothing to do with the information, and providers should already be wearing PPE if there is someone coughing with a fever.

OP, I get it. I'm six months out from my own open heart surgery, and I have severe asthma. I'm high risk myself. Other than allowing or not allowing me to see patients, my care would not change if I were tested and it came back positive. It's not helpful for treatment. If there were no test, the difference would be that I would be quarantined longer and unable to see patients, even if I felt better.

I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go in person to Hogans office or his next press conference and ask him what he thinks you should do.

So expose everyone there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People saying it doesnt matter if OP is tested or not are just so dumb. . . .sure, OP should act like they have it. BUT we need to know how many people have this. If we are EVER going to get our normal lives back, we need to know wtf is going on....how it is spreading. who is getting it...what happens to them, etc.

It doesn't matter from a treatment perspective. It matters in a larger sense for all of us, but OP's medical course will not change. That's just medicine.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again: To that same PP—more than that, let’s say it’s NOT coronavirus. That’s one less person clogging up the works treating a presumed case.

You would not be treated any differently as a presumed case vs. an unknown case, because there is nothing to do with the information, and providers should already be wearing PPE if there is someone coughing with a fever.

OP, I get it. I'm six months out from my own open heart surgery, and I have severe asthma. I'm high risk myself. Other than allowing or not allowing me to see patients, my care would not change if I were tested and it came back positive. It's not helpful for treatment. If there were no test, the difference would be that I would be quarantined longer and unable to see patients, even if I felt better.

I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

This is important to OP or others who want to be tested. It's important for research but it's also important for that person.

[Anonymous]

In Hubei province the Chinese realized that they needed fever clinics -- hospitals just for people who had fever and were presumed positive for COVID where they could wait and not infect their families. This was a place for people who weren't sick enough to need a hospital but could be cared for and transferred to the hospital if need be.

Do we have that kind of hospital or clinic set up for our patients? If we are all just sent home to watch and wait... we are mostly going to infect the rest of our families aren't we?