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Y2/D286 - COVID Testing in South Carolina
Dec. 28th, 2021 08:04 pmMother and I got up bright and early this morning to get my COVID PCR Test. (Actually we got up at 7:30 and left for the test around 9 am).
Took a while to find a parking spot. The Main Street Medical Center Urgent Care is a small medical building not far from mother's retirement community, we didn't really have to leave the plantation (the communities are set up as plantations) to get there. There's a small parking lot, with rows on both sides to park, nothing in the middle and no room. And at the back of it, a tent with a nurse taking vitals, and then a dirty cream colored trailer that's seen better days with "Medical Annex" on the front, COVID Testing. A lot of old folks (ie. in their 70s and 80s) were standing around with masks on and trying to figure out what to do.
Mother told me to get out of the car and ask about the tests, while she snagged a parking spot that another car was pulling out of. We were supposed to call them - but we couldn't get anyone on the phone. Finally someone came out and I gave her my name and number, she said she'd have someone call me - and to fill out the form, which I did against my Mom's car. Most of the folks standing around didn't have appointments - they apparently didn't have the patience to stick around on hold for twenty minutes, like I did. (Jetblue, Crazy Workplace's IT department and Optimum have thirty minutes to well over an hour wait times, this is nothing.)
Anyhow, after I filled out the form, someone called me and told me to go to the nurse, I did, she took my vitals. Which were fine, outside of high blood pressure.
Nurse: You seem nervous?
Me: Yes.
Nurse: There's no reason to be.
Me: Yeah right.
After that, I took my vitals (which she put on a post-it note) and went back to wait at Mom's car. I was told they'd call me and have me take the test in the trailer. After about five to ten minutes they did. A blond haired nurse with the most beautiful blue eyes I'd seen administered the test. They were sky blue. I'm convinced she was wearing colored contacts - they were almost too blue. I was mesmerized by them.
Nurse: This test is 98-100% effective for COVID and the one the airlines require.
Me: Oh, good.
Nurse: It takes 30 minutes.
Me: To administer?
Nurse: No, to get the results. It's only two minutes to administer. Someone will text message you the results, and if you want - call and we'll send an email. Any questions?
Me: I don't think so.
The test was two quick swabs up the nose. It's a nasal test not a saliva test. And it doesn't go very far up the nose. It's more accurate because they test against various chemical agents and it is tested differently than the antigen tests.
After that, we went home. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.
No text message. Around 11:00, an hour and a half after the test. I called, and sat on hold for about twenty minutes. Finally got someone - who told me that the test was ...NEGATIVE!
Yippee.
We are COVID free. It was just a chest cold. The stupid cold that has been jumping through my extended family for the last three months. Mother gave me a cold.
And eventually they sent me a letter that I printed off and photographed to upload to the NYC COVID App. It has my vaccine, ID, and negative test result.
So relieved.
Oh by the way - apparently you can buy At Home Tests on Amazon and at Target now.
Took a while to find a parking spot. The Main Street Medical Center Urgent Care is a small medical building not far from mother's retirement community, we didn't really have to leave the plantation (the communities are set up as plantations) to get there. There's a small parking lot, with rows on both sides to park, nothing in the middle and no room. And at the back of it, a tent with a nurse taking vitals, and then a dirty cream colored trailer that's seen better days with "Medical Annex" on the front, COVID Testing. A lot of old folks (ie. in their 70s and 80s) were standing around with masks on and trying to figure out what to do.
Mother told me to get out of the car and ask about the tests, while she snagged a parking spot that another car was pulling out of. We were supposed to call them - but we couldn't get anyone on the phone. Finally someone came out and I gave her my name and number, she said she'd have someone call me - and to fill out the form, which I did against my Mom's car. Most of the folks standing around didn't have appointments - they apparently didn't have the patience to stick around on hold for twenty minutes, like I did. (Jetblue, Crazy Workplace's IT department and Optimum have thirty minutes to well over an hour wait times, this is nothing.)
Anyhow, after I filled out the form, someone called me and told me to go to the nurse, I did, she took my vitals. Which were fine, outside of high blood pressure.
Nurse: You seem nervous?
Me: Yes.
Nurse: There's no reason to be.
Me: Yeah right.
After that, I took my vitals (which she put on a post-it note) and went back to wait at Mom's car. I was told they'd call me and have me take the test in the trailer. After about five to ten minutes they did. A blond haired nurse with the most beautiful blue eyes I'd seen administered the test. They were sky blue. I'm convinced she was wearing colored contacts - they were almost too blue. I was mesmerized by them.
Nurse: This test is 98-100% effective for COVID and the one the airlines require.
Me: Oh, good.
Nurse: It takes 30 minutes.
Me: To administer?
Nurse: No, to get the results. It's only two minutes to administer. Someone will text message you the results, and if you want - call and we'll send an email. Any questions?
Me: I don't think so.
The test was two quick swabs up the nose. It's a nasal test not a saliva test. And it doesn't go very far up the nose. It's more accurate because they test against various chemical agents and it is tested differently than the antigen tests.
After that, we went home. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.
No text message. Around 11:00, an hour and a half after the test. I called, and sat on hold for about twenty minutes. Finally got someone - who told me that the test was ...NEGATIVE!
Yippee.
We are COVID free. It was just a chest cold. The stupid cold that has been jumping through my extended family for the last three months. Mother gave me a cold.
And eventually they sent me a letter that I printed off and photographed to upload to the NYC COVID App. It has my vaccine, ID, and negative test result.
So relieved.
Oh by the way - apparently you can buy At Home Tests on Amazon and at Target now.