COVID-19 Scare Swab Results --a True Local StoryBy Michael BromkaOn the morning of sunday 26 July, weakness and fever took hold /viwof Pat.(Pat for Patient, not his real name.)He was weak as a kitten, slept and sweated for most of 48 hours, had no appetite, and ate nothing. Bed, bathroom, and refrigerator for unsweetened ginger tea, which he brewed in the microwave, then let cool to room temperature, thence to be chilled.Later, all his vertical recollections were of tea.One bag in a 4-cup Pyrex beaker, hook string around handle, fill with Carlsbad's finest tap water.Nuke 6 minutes then leave in microwave till you wake up three hours later.Rehydrate by draining a 20 oz plastic bottle of cold tea.Refill two empties from a big cold glass jar of tea.Refill glass jar from room-temp beaker.Jar plus bottles return to
fridge, refilled beaker and teabag to microwave, bring bottle of cold tea back to bed.The tea ritual makes sense and sustains waking spirits.Betwixt sleep and wake come questions.Is this Coronavirus?If so, how he catch it?Even if not, how did he catch it?He had been Dr. Fauci's avid fan and adherent.Avoid public gatherings, distance, distance!Post office, bank, grocery shopping?Mask up snugly, with mouth and nose covered.In and out, do business, leave.While there, stand on your mark and don't crowd others.Plan ahead to minimize the frequency of these sorties.Be affable but don't shake hands.Do that hands together prayerful gesture from India plus a slight bow, not fully Japanese.Think Obama greets a Saudi King.Don't shake hands.
At home upon arrival --or at your friend's house --wash hands upon arrival.That there should've been enough.But it wasn't.If or if not Coronavirus, how did he catch it?That right there makes him wonder!All those precautions, and still he's sick?He looks up the list of symptoms.Some folks are utterly asymptotic.Cool beans!Others plummet unto death in hours.Then there are those hovering between life and death on a ventilator --no picnic that!Encroachment of the What ifs....What if it's a plateau --and then he gets better?What if the plateau leads to a turn for the worse?Sunshine then sudden death?He could live with that, or die as it were....But bad lingering would be worrisome.Best not to worry.Hey, if this were the worst of it, groovy!In fact, by Tuesday evening, the fever was
gone.And yet --could he seek out an answer to the looming Q:COVID, or not?A nearby corporation --according to Google --offered a free test.Register online.Hmm.Six p.m. Sunday, their site allowed no access.No problem, it's all sleep all the time.So set an alarm for three a.m. Monday, when all the world's asleep but for East Coast early birds.Alarm and attempt with same result.The store's close, but the moat is deep, wide, unfordable.On Tuesday, a Christian lady friend phones.Robert Jacques had gotten his entire Hope Center community tested by busing them over to the Eddy County Health building on 1306 W. Stevens St.It's the NE corner at Maple St.So phone them.Robo-voicemail jail.But if he sets out on foot in the cool 7:30 a.m. air Wednesday, he can go get tested!Which he did!But there was an avoidable error.Do it this way from home instead.Accurately Google this --
cvtestreg.nmhealth.orgIn case you're interested, that first portion stands for COVID-19 test registration.The questions are sensible but many, many,many.Be precise and accurate, because it helps track the contagion's presence, absence, advance, or retreat amongst us.For the good of us all, be accurate.Upon his arrival, Pat was told to stay in his car.Sensibly he asked --What if I ain't got one?A chair was brought out.The entire process is in the morning-shaded out of doors, the parking lot.'Twould have been far simpler to fill out all the questions at home in advance.For folks who have no computer, a smartphone, glom onto a friend or neighbor who'll favor your plea with time and patience.Get all the data entry and appointment done on the smartphone or computer the day or evening BEFORE
showing up.You'll be SO much more comfortable that way!Swab up the nose, what can be written?This too shall pass.A brief discomfort.Think of Brad Pitt playing Dr. Fauci on SNL.Be over long before the specs, wig, and hairnet come off.Pat was thrilled to have fever, weakness, and severe symptoms behind him.But there remained the ethical Quarantine.Until word came back, he had to forgo any possibility of passing on the plague to others.How so?Back home.On the morning of Tuesday following the Wednesday nose swab, barreling in arrived two texts and an e-mail declaring the test result negative for COVID-19.Liberation from Quarantine!Pick up thy pallet and walk, Lazarus!(It's known --not Lazarus.Nameless healed fellow, right?Let's say Lazarus.)
To sum up --only be tested if there's a compelling worry that it's necessary.Do all data input at the site listed below.Go early after 8 a.m. to avoid heat.The parking lot fronts onto N. Maple St. at 1306 W. Stevens St.And that website again is --cvtestreg.nmhealth.org