On our way home, we ...

[Thumper]

.... spotted a free, drive-thru Covid-19 test center. Wow, we were impressed. Very professional, organized and efficient. We were in and out in 12-minutes, which included registration, logging info into computer, the test itself and filling out a voluntary survey. We had the option of text, email or snail mail and they said we’d get the results in 24-48 hours. No symptoms or concerns, we were just curious.

[Arty]

If they’d only had drive thru Clap testing clinics back in the day... probably woulda saved you a lot of time!


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[Thumper]

I’m sure, from past experience, you know where your tall stool is stored. You need to go get it. I’ll wait.

[Thumper]

Ha! For “some reason” your clap comment reminded me I have some packaging to do as I had a few eBay sales while we were out of town. The reminder? One item was sold to somebody in Dripping Springs, Texas. 😆

[johnboy]

So you get a test and it comes back negative or positive, as the case may be. Then what? What do you do different? If positive, do you seek medical aid or self isolate? If negative, are you in the clear? You could get infected at any time, any where. IMHO, 'testing', without symptoms, is a waste of time and resources. It's a panacea to help people feel like they are doing something.

[Arty]

So you get a test and it comes back negative or positive, as the case may be. Then what? What do you do different? If positive, do you seek medical aid or self isolate? If negative, are you in the clear? You could get infected at any time, any where. IMHO, 'testing', without symptoms, is a waste of time and resources. It's a panacea to help people feel like they are doing something.

But, but, but!!!!... SCIENCE!


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[Thumper]

Peace of mind Johnboy. That’s all. If it comes back negative, we continue on the way we have been. We practice the social distancing thing, use hand sanitizer a bazillion times a day and we wear masks in public. We're not careless, but we also don't hide in a closet. If positive, we'd discuss what we need to do from there, but most definitely we’d self-quarantine and immediately call our doctors for guidance. Why risk giving it to friends and family? I really don’t see what possible problem there could be by being tested and informed. If you were still young, single and somehow contracted AIDS, would you just continue dating and boinking? I think your question is a bit silly.

[DeputyDog]

One of my nephews is a freshmen at Central Michigan this year and he just tested positive. He had what he thought was a pretty bad cold so he got tested. He hasn’t had any other symptoms other than congestion and a cough and is feeling better each day.

Of course he had to move into a COVID dorm until he is symptom free for three days.


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[BarryBobPosthole]

If I was in a situation where I had to be out in public a lot I’d for damn sure want to know if I was shedding virus. And if I tested positive, the first thing I’d do is quarantine myself.
The guidelines are pretty simple.
I suppose that’s too sciencey for you?

BKB

BKB

[johnboy]

Silly is as silly does, Jim. You get tested today then go about your normal life until you get the results a few days to a week later. You are positive or negative according to the test (which may or may not be accurate) for that particular day. In the meantime you are doing your normal stuff. Should you get tested again? How many times?

Testing asymptomatic people is pointless as they may aquire the virus at any time after the test. If you want testing to be useful then you need to test everyone all the time. Are you up for that?

[Thumper]

Silly is as silly does, Jim. ..... Testing asymptomatic people is pointless ....

TBH, I really don't know where you're coming from John. What you're saying sounds like something Trump would espouse. I assume you're aware many people can have COVID-19 and be totally unaware of it, correct? IF I were to test positive but was totally asymptomatic, I'd be darned sure to be careful not to risk exposure to others by self-quarantining and would educate myself (through my doctor) as to what course of action I should take from that point forward. It's not like we know everything about this disease and we are learning more about it on a daily basis. If I told you Lynn and I tested positive but we're asymptomatic, would you invite us to have dinner at your place with you and your family?

From the net:
A minority of infected persons never develop symptoms and are classified as “asymptomatic.” These persons still shed virus ....

[johnboy]

Amazing how people bring Trump into everything when they don't agree with the premise. My point is that this virus is now endemic and you can get it anytime, anywhere. Unless you test the entire population on a regular basis and isolate those infected, you will never get rid of it. It is now part of our environment, thanks to the CCP (may they rot in hell) and we need to figure out how to live with it. It ain't going away. The model to follow, if you read the stats, is Sweden.

[Thumper]

Well, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. The last I heard, we have a shit-load of people working on a vaccine. They may be successful, they may not. Time will tell.

BUT ....


My point is that this virus is now endemic .... we need to figure out how to live with it. It ain't going away.

What if we'd taken that stance with smallpox?

BTW ... coincidentally, our test results just came in about 2-mins. ago ... we're both negative. I guess we just wasted everybody's time and effort and it's 12-minutes of my life wasted that I'll never get back ... but I "feel" better, so it's a plus imho. Can I still expect that dinner invitation? ;)

Requisition ID: 21226
Client: State of Florida
Specimen ID: 21212
Gender: Male
Type: Nasopharyngeal
Physician: Douglas Holt
Collected: 10/11/2020
Received: Reported: 10/12/2020

Detailed Results Summary
Results Value: SARS-CoV-2, NAA Not Detected

[johnboy]

I've got Covid Fatigue - I'm just fucking tired of this shit. Anyway, stay healthy and sane. It gets harder every day.

[Buckrub]

It's deadly. But it dang SURE is the first Pandemic in the history of this round Planet where folks have to chase you down to test you to see if you're going to kill all those around you. Every OTHER Pandemic, you got sick, went to a health professional and said "WHAT HAVE I GOT? FIX THIS!"...........

Not this one.

Positive is meaningless. Positive with symptoms is serious as heck.

[Thumper]

Positive is meaningless? I really don’t get that. If I’m positive, ya’ wanna hang out? I’m really missing something here. I’m far from paranoid. If you’ll go back through the posts, you’ll see Lynn and I have been out of town every weekend for the past couple months, 3 days and 2 nights in a hotel each time. In fact, we will be out of town every weekend until the end of the year and a few weekends early next year. We go out to eat (not take out) probably 6-8 times per week. I’m working and attending estate sales and being exposed to a bazillion people in close quarters. On weekends we visit anywhere from 10-20 thrift stores. We’re as careful as possible, social distancing “when possible”, hand washing/sanitizer a LOT and we wear masks, BUT I’m not hiding in my basement. For the life of me I can’t understand the “if you feel fine, don’t worry about it” attitude. If I should be asymptomatic, would you want to be around me?

[Arty]

Positive is meaningless? I really don’t get that. If I’m positive, ya’ wanna hang out? I’m really missing something here. I’m far from paranoid. If you’ll go back through the posts, you’ll see Lynn and I have been out of town every weekend for the past couple months, 3 days and 2 nights in a hotel each time. In fact, we will be out of town every weekend until the end of the year and a few weekends early next year. We go out to eat (not take out) probably 6-8 times per week. I’m working and attending estate sales and being exposed to a bazillion people in close quarters. On weekends we visit anywhere from 10-20 thrift stores. We’re as careful as possible, social distancing “when possible”, hand washing/sanitizer a LOT and we wear masks, BUT I’m not hiding in my basement. For the life of me I can’t understand the “if you feel fine, don’t worry about it” attitude. If I should be asymptomatic, would you want to be around me?

You could have been asymptomatic over the 2 months that y’all been out of town every weekend.
So you must not be worried about it.

You speak from both sides of your great big head.


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[Thumper]

For the life of me, I don’t see where you bozos are coming from. Left field I guess. This is the third time we’ve been tested (in one form or another). We’re regular blood donors and they perform an antibody test with each donation. I guess we’re just on different pages. No biggie.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Positive is not meaningless. as has been stated many times, people shed virus with or without symptoms. And obviously they care about spreading the virus or they wouldn’t get tested.

The most confounding part of this is that when people actually give a shit and try to prevent the spread of this disease, others can’t seem to resist telling them how stupid they are for caring.

BKB

[airbud7]

Free test eh?
did they test for the antibodies so your ass don't have to keep coming back for the free test?

[Thumper]

Huh? I think you’re confused. As stated above, we’re automatically given antibody tests when we donate blood. That just tells you whether or not you’ve contracted the virus, but had no symptoms. As stated repeatedly by the doctors on this site, that doesn’t mean we can’t catch it tomorrow. The test we took Sunday just let us know that as of that day, we had no virus. Again, as stated here, that doesn’t mean we can’t catch it tomorrow! We haven’t been out of the house since being tested. My 90 year old uncle just got out of the hospital (bladder infection) and I’m going to Orlando to take his Chevy pick-up to the shop for repair. I at least have the peace of mind knowing I won’t be taking him a “gift”.

[airbud7]

like Johnboy said...how do you know you didn't catch it this weekend?....it's not going to show up on a test the second you walk by someone with it!

Saturday- was around someone with covid
Sunday- tested negative
Monday- tested positive

See how it works now?

[Thumper]

And if my aunt hadn't gone in for her annual mamogram, she'd have never known she had breast cancer until it was too late.

If my SEAL buddy hadn't gone in for his annual check-up, he'd have never known he had prostate cancer ... they caught it in time and he's fine now.

If I hadn't gone in for my annual physical, I'd have never known I had an upper thoracic aneurysm on the verge of exploding and would be dead today.

If my sister hadn't gone in for her check-up, she'd have never known she had liver disease.

I could go on, but not ONE person mentioned above had a clue there was anything wrong with them.

Those examples may not really apply here, but I'd simply rather be informed in case I've contracted the virus somewhere along the line so I could adjust my lifestyle and don't unknowingly make someone else sick, or possibly kill someone. I have no clue where the push-back is coming from here or why. I'm hoping you buttheads are simply bored and grinning in the background while doing a little S.D'ing. It's the only possible, feasible answer I can come up with.

I give up. UNCLE! I'm a dufus for at least TRYING to protect those around me. :banghead

[BarryBobPosthole]

The simple answer Thumper is your logic doesn’t fit their political narrative about Covid. Recall when those of us with comprbidities to just stay home if home if don’t want to get covid. Now they tell you you’re silly or stupid to get tested and they insist testing is meaningless.
Here’s a hint: if it doesn’t fit the politics of it, it wrong no matter what you do.

If you have to work and be in the public I hope you’re safe and do it safely.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

For two guys who like to stir the pot so much on here you’re taking all this pretty seriously. [emoji12]


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[Thumper]

Deppity, I'd normally go along with your thinking and laugh it off, but TBH, I don't think there's any "pot stirring" going on here (other than a couple of minor jabs) ... as far as I can tell, there are a couple here who are dead serious. After watching that dumbass Trump continuously shoot himself in the foot lately, I guess the brainwashing is working.

I voted for Trump for ONE reason and it had nothing to do with what he's working with now. With the COVID mess and the world economy where it is today, he really doesn't have anything to do other than pretend he knows what he's talking about. He's clueless and when it comes to the everyday operation of the government, he's a frigging idiot and is his own worst enemy IMHO. I wanted to see him tackle the economy as well as tell a few countries to pound sand, which is what he did ... while it lasted anyway. But after watching him, I can also see how guys like Putin (who ain't no dummy) could tear him apart in a true test of genius. I was hoping Trump would put a kick-ass administration together (like any successful business) and they would handle the issues other than the economy. The problem is, if anyone disagrees with him on ANYTHING, he goes back into reality show mode and starts screaming, "You're Fired!" That's not exactly what I was hoping he meant by promising to "drain the swamp". What makes matters even worse is, I'm going to have to vote for him again, like every other election since Reagan, because he's the lesser of two evils. I can't imagine turning over the reigns to the Biden/Harris/Pelosi/Schumer a-holes, but the way Trump is conducting himself right now, I'm afraid it's inevitable. Somebody needs to knock some sense into his pea-brain ... but I'm afraid it's too late and it'll never happen anydamnway, because he "knows" he's smarter than anyone else on planet earth.

I have a brother just like him (in THOUGHT only). Unlike Trump, he's never held a job in his life, has been homeless forever and is now in a VA provided residence for the homeless. He thinks the world owes him something, yet he's never done one frigging thing to contribute, only taken. But, LIKE Trump, we've many times tried to help him, including providing professional help, but he knows (in HIS mind) there's nothing wrong with him, it's everyone else in the world who's fucked up.

[Arty]

I’m just giving you a punch in those big dangling old man balls. I don’t care if you get tested or not.
I’m actually sorta curious if I’ve already had it but unlike your experience, testing ain’t so prolific here.
My 16 year old was (potentially) exposed to someone that had it. Around that time me and the wife were exposed to someone that might have been exposed.
I called every clinic and CVS in a 25 miles radius and unless we had a fever, we were told to pound sand.

I’m just busting your balls. Settle down there pumpface!


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[Thumper]

I know that Artemus, you were referred to as one of the minor (pot stirring) jabs, above ... and it was taken in that vein. At first, I thought there was a lot of pot stirring going on, until I realized a couple folks are actually serious. I guess I'm able to realize that, but I'm having a heck of a time understanding it.

On the plus side, at LEAST there's a thread going with continuous input. This place is really dead compared to the good old days. I'm hoping the negative Trump rant above will draw out a few more comments. I guess that could be considered pot stirring around here, but I'm serious. He's a f-ing nutbag who has thrown away a good thing due to his ignorance in so many areas. (see how I slipped that in there?) :stirthepot

[Chicken Dinner]

It must because you live in Trump country and they know you think CV is a hoax and testing is a liberal scam, JT. Up in my liberal area I’ve got two places within a mile where no appointment or referral is needed.


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[Thumper]

We have quite a few around. No appointment, no referral and most importantly FREE .... 7-days/week. Getting tested is kind of a no-brainer imho. When we stopped in on Sunday, we weren't even in our home county, it didn't matter. In and out in 12-minutes and never got out of the car. Test results were emailed to us less than 24-hours later (you have a choice of email, text or snail mail ... maybe even a phone call, I don't remember persactly).

The one we stopped at was at the football stadium (Tampa Bay Bucks). For obvious reasons, the only time they don't test there is on game days.

[Arty]

It must because you live in Trump country and they know you think CV is a hoax and testing is a liberal scam, JT. Up in my liberal area I’ve got two places within a mile where no appointment or referral is needed.


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Hampton Roads is certainly not Trump country


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[DeputyDog]

We’re in the same position as Arty. They advertise free testing available but it is in limit areas and unless you are symptomatic they don’t want to test you.


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[johnboy]

When you start bringing politics into the discussion about a disease then I'm out. Vira don't care. Jim, by telling us that you have been tested multiple times makes my case that single, random testing of asymptomatic people is pointless other than for that particular point in time.

I hope nobody gets this disease but I'm not going to live in fear of catching it.

[Thumper]

Being in fear of catching it and being in fear of spreading it are two different things. Being asymptomatic and UNKNOWINGLY spreading it is MY fear. If you do NOT have that fear, that’s your prerogative. I’m sure the people close to you would love to know that.

[Arty]

It must because you live in Trump country and they know you think CV is a hoax and testing is a liberal scam, JT. Up in my liberal area I’ve got two places within a mile where no appointment or referral is needed.


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So you are testing on the regular? Like before you went to dinner or travel out of the county?


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[johnboy]

Jim, brace yourself cause I'm actually agreeing with you now that I have the 'rest of the story'.

[Thumper]

I have not had any contact with anyone but Lynn since being tested. We came straight home and I haven’t been out of the house since. Tomorrow, I will be visiting my 90 year old uncle who was just released from the hospital a matter of days ago. I’ll walk into his house with a clear conscience. I’m not saying that’s the only reason I get tested, but it’s a plus. I would have been tested anyway. Why not? I’ll eventually be around others.

[Chicken Dinner]

So you are testing on the regular? Like before you went to dinner or travel out of the county?


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I’ve gotten tested when I returned from trips out of town.


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