I wonder if superspreaders aren't just overly friendly, shout-y types?

I think there are some rapid tests that come back in a few hours. 2 weeks is absurd. Even 3 days is unreasonable.

There was a lot of criticism of the Abbott test, but I've read some stuff suggesting the biggest problem was poor sample collection.

I know that Bowdoin was only having a portion
If their students return to campus so that they could all have single rooms, and they are going to test the students twice a week.

Heebie U is unable to acquire tests for asymptomatic students. We're trying but very pessimistic.

We are doing single rooms, though.

One hour plus RNA sample prep time so maybe 90 minutes. I assume they're trying to commercialize that.
I've started to see a bit more about pooled screening, I don't know why that hasn't taken off more for groups of people where you want to make sure no one is infected but don't immediately care who is infected. Frequently test a whole basketball team, classroom, etc. with one test, and if anyone is positive you stop gathering and track down the individual. It only works well when you expect to have only a few positives in your group so more for surveillance than the current situation of 10+% positivity rate.

"This is the team swab we're shoving up your nose. Show some respect."

Supposedly, my mom's nursing home is testing everybody (staff and residents) often.

I got tested for free last Wednesday, results on Monday. I had heard that it was a 48 hour turnaround, and I was trying to be safe to see my father on Sunday -- that didn't work out, but I went ahead with the visit anyway.

I got tested on the 13th and got my results on the 17th. Didn't seem too bad for a free test within walking distance of home. The line sure was long, though. Two hours. Adherence to social distancing in line was spotty.

I might try to get another test in a few days. There was a sort of party here yesterday. Not all that many people (fewer than 10 guests, let's say, not counting the family living together?), and mostly outdoors, and some mask usage, but still outside my comfort zone. In hindsight maybe I should have tried to persuade them to not have it.

25 days! What on earth could possibly be the point of that?

My mother's care home staff are all getting tested once a week, which means there are only three days a week when they might be undetected but infectious. Better than nothing, I suppose.

Mine from last Thursday (I think?) just came back negative. It's supposed to take 72 hours but with only workdays counting.

Hooray.

A friend in Munich texted me that her young son was being tested, because he had an odd rash. By the time I woke up the next morning she had texted that the test was negative. Less than 24-hour turnaround time! It was one of those gut punch moments when you realize that a thing you hadn't even considered possible is just the norm in other places.

Blume!

Now I'm worried about odd rashes though. My son had bronchitis in January, but we never got a Covid test because the doctor said it was bronchitis. But we didn't mention the rash.

Right, that too! Somewhat odd and otherwise unexplainable symptom in a kid --> immediate availability of COVID test. That I'm sure didn't cost them anything.

Anyway, there's just enough people around here with connections in either China or Italy that I keep thinking I should get him checked. But I don't because nobody else in the house was sick and we haven't been careful at all as far as within household transmission. For example, when I want a glass of water, I just use whatever glass on the counter looks clean.

16: Both of my kids were down at the beginning of March with low grade fevers, very bad stomach pains, and then the 4yo had a weird rash around her mouth for a couple of weeks. We didn't even consider COVID because at the time it was fever/dry cough only. Most likely coxsackie. But I wonder; non-standard presentations is sort of the rule for these two.

Oops, apparently the doctor's office misinformed me and my test was invalid, so they couldn't determine if it was positive or negative. I'm mostly feeling better, but I suppose I'll go get reswabbed anyway.

Invalid? How'd they fuck up?

21: Somehow there's no update on that part. It definitely was deep enough, but maybe the angle was wrong or something? I am choosing not to take it personally! And I still expect to be negative. No one here is having any symptoms that aren't clearly allergies.

They probably spilled soup on it while having a working lunch.

Guessing the negative control came back positive or vice versa. I don't think there's any QC check on the sample collection, but an "invalid" result suggests a problem with the readout.

I would quite like an antibody test, but as far as I can tell, there's no route for me to get one. I'm not a key worker. So, I can't.

24: Yeah, I was mostly teasing Moby about the problem being on my end. I tried to find out how common this is as a result but googling got annoying fast.

Also I can't believe I was foolish enough to say "my end" in front of Moby and yet somehow I avoided any scandalous response. Off to be swabbed!

Just read about young right-wing TikTokers withdrawing from Trump under the current onslaught, mostly the pervasiveness of BLM-respect in youth culture it seems which is good, but one of them cited the federal bailouts, which made me worry we're still in the following depressing cycle from GWB:

1. Republicans in power fuck up the country beyond all recognition
2. Those individual Republicans in office cave to expert opinion and reality and spend lavishly to ameliorate, before being voted out
3. The Republicans who weren't in high positions suddenly find high principles of budget hawkery to stand on, which serves them well to grandstand as long as Democrats are in the White House
4. That newer generation of politicians is thereby laundered of responsibility for the last fuckup and is in position to fuck things up even worse next time around

27:. Try not to mess up this time, Thorn!

Meant to include this link.

My parents are thinking about visiting (they have a new niece they haven't met yet and are driving cross country to meet her and we're on the way). They're taking a camper with a toilet so they have very little risk of getting COVID on the trip. I just looked into whether we can get tested before they get here so we don't accidentally infect them, and although we do have testing here available for anyone, all the slots are booked out for a full week. What an utterly failed country we live in.

If you don't have a camper you can just pee behind the gas stations. Pooping is harder, so mostly just eat cheese and no fiber.

Anyway, I'd really like to be able to see my mom. This would likely involve a 14 hour drive. I think I could manage without going into a building except if someone is watching when I need to pee.

Maybe the secret is to track down state parks along the way.