I know as much as I beg people to just stay home, it’s not going to happen. With all the unrest in our country, it’s even less likely people will want to stay inside. However, none of this means COVID-19 is no longer a threat. Until there is a cure or a vaccine, everyone remains susceptible to catching the disease.

A couple months ago, I came down with a fever, which led to me being able to get the COVID-19 test. And. It. Sucked. I was instructed to tilt my head back and closed my eyes as a frighteningly long swab was pushed into my nose. It was merely uncomfortable until it finally hit my sinuses in the back of my head, causing me to tear up and ache behind my ear, a symptom which lasted for days.

No matter how unpleasant it was, getting tested was necessary to ensure I could not pass COVID-19 onto my family. While I may not be high-risk, I regularly come in contact with people who are. As more and more people step into the outside world, the likeliness of coming in contact with COVID-19 increases. There are a number of reports of people going into work despite being symptomatic and even more who test positive while remaining asymptomatic.

Despite this, testing still remains limited to those who are symptomatic. Even if I had tested positive, none of my relatives would have been able to get COVID-19 testing until they were symptomatic. While the antibody test has become more widely available, there is no evidence that if you test positive for the antibodies, you cannot catch COVID-19.

If you are going out and/or continuing to work, you need to help push for more wide-spread testing. It is our duty as a community to protect not only ourselves and our families, but everyone who is in the high-risk category.

By doing this, more people will live to see the end of this madness.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Tessa Collinson at [email protected].

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