My COVID swab pilgrimage pt. 1
Do I really need to be tested for COVID? That was a question that I spent quite a bit of time thinking about. I didn't want to overreact and waste the medical system鈥檚 time and tests (or my own time for that matter) but I also didn鈥檛 want to be irresponsible.
This internal debate happened in the context of me being really excited. Really excited to go back to my postponed placement. I鈥檝e previously mentioned that I got a placement in an area of law that is my dream career. So it鈥檚 a really important thing for me, and I had just confirmed the dates that I would be going back.
Then some sniffles started happening, and a sore throat tagged along for the ride. I was very aware that 鈥渟ore throat鈥 is one of the listed COVID symptoms, and I was trying to figure out what to do with that. 鈥淪ore throat鈥 is quite broad. If you鈥檙e like me then you regularly have what could be described as 鈥渟ore throat鈥. Sometimes I just wake up and my throat feels a little weird, sometimes I just feel a little flat and my voice feels hoarse. So I鈥檓 basically in a constant state of being 鈥渟ymptomatic鈥, which sucks because (in the worst case scenario where I am infectious) someone is going to say to me, 鈥渋f you had a sore throat why didn鈥檛 you go get tested?鈥
That鈥檚 my baseline, but my throat started feeling a little bit worse than just weird. 鈥淲ell,鈥 I thought to myself, 鈥淭his is just great!鈥 My placement was supposed to start again in three days. I could picture the article that would be written up about me 鈥淚nfected Justice System: Student Ignored Symptoms!鈥. I didn鈥檛 want to be to blame for that. It鈥檚 also not how I want to kick off my entry into the workforce.
I had a GP look in my throat and they confirmed that I may have some kind of viral infection, they wrote up a form to get a COVID test. I was low-key exasperated. I knew I didn鈥檛 have COVID. I felt like they knew I didn鈥檛 have COVID. Why couldn鈥檛 they just tell me what I wanted to hear and let me get back to my life? I guess that鈥檚 the whole point of the test. So that we really know based on evidence rather than just saying what we like to hear.
Keep an eye out for Part 2 coming later today to see how it all unfolded...