Test me please
June 6, 2020 1:01 PM Subscribe
Is it possible in June 2020 for an asymptomatic person to get tested for covid-19? I am able to pay, as I don't imagine my health insurance would cover it. I would like to visit an immunocompromised relative but I don't want to unknowingly infect them.
Response by poster: Florida, USA
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:05 PM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:05 PM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Here's the Florida Medical Association's statewide list of drive-through COVID testing sites, including location, hours, and cost (if any).
The conditions under which each one is accepting patients vary; some prioritize front-line workers and people over 60, for example, while others do not. Some require appointments; others do not. Etc. I took a quick look and saw one or two in each county that test the asymptomatic.
posted by virago at 1:18 PM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
The conditions under which each one is accepting patients vary; some prioritize front-line workers and people over 60, for example, while others do not. Some require appointments; others do not. Etc. I took a quick look and saw one or two in each county that test the asymptomatic.
posted by virago at 1:18 PM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Orlando: Two county run sites South Orange Youth Park: 11800 S. Orange Ave and Ventura Elementary School: 4400 Woodgate Boulevard. Anyone 18 or older can be tested for free, regardless of whether they have symptoms, as long as they register for an appointment beforehand by visiting here. The sites will be open Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Yay!!! Thank you so much, virago!
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:25 PM on June 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Yay!!! Thank you so much, virago!
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:25 PM on June 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
I'm very glad to help! I hope that both you and your relative are well, and stay well.
posted by virago at 1:26 PM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by virago at 1:26 PM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Be aware that the tests are not 100% accurate — I remember reading about a month ago that there was a 20% false negative rate, though it’s possible the tests have improved. You can ask the nurses at the testing site.
posted by mekily at 1:51 PM on June 6, 2020
posted by mekily at 1:51 PM on June 6, 2020
My doctor told me there's a big accuracy difference between the drive thru / walk-in test places that have you swab your own nostril with a short swab and the office visit tests where they stick a long swab so far back in your sinuses that you feel like they're scraping the back of your skull.
I tested negative with the former but my symptoms are presenting so much like Covid-19 that my doctor is having me come in to be retested with the latter.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:04 PM on June 6, 2020
I tested negative with the former but my symptoms are presenting so much like Covid-19 that my doctor is having me come in to be retested with the latter.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:04 PM on June 6, 2020
"... a big accuracy difference between the drive-thru/walk-in testing places that have you swab your own nostril with a short swab and office visit tests where they stick a long swab so far back in your sinuses that you feel like they're scraping the back of your skull."
I've heard that, too. And I'm hoping that the people who most need the most accurate tests -- front line workers, senior citizens, and people with underlying conditions -- are prioritized for the long-swab tests.
That said, "drive-through" on the Florida Medical Association list seems to be more of a generic term for "test not carried out by the patient's PCP." It doesn't necessarily mean self-administered COVID tests. (Although I'm sure some of those are on the list, too.)
For example, pH Indicating Socks is going to a county-run site, which I'm guessing (and hoping) is going to use the long swabs. I'd say the same of testing sites overseen by the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, which also are on the linked list.
posted by virago at 7:57 PM on June 6, 2020
I've heard that, too. And I'm hoping that the people who most need the most accurate tests -- front line workers, senior citizens, and people with underlying conditions -- are prioritized for the long-swab tests.
That said, "drive-through" on the Florida Medical Association list seems to be more of a generic term for "test not carried out by the patient's PCP." It doesn't necessarily mean self-administered COVID tests. (Although I'm sure some of those are on the list, too.)
For example, pH Indicating Socks is going to a county-run site, which I'm guessing (and hoping) is going to use the long swabs. I'd say the same of testing sites overseen by the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, which also are on the linked list.
posted by virago at 7:57 PM on June 6, 2020
There is a period of time between being tested, getting the result, and then acting on the result (AIUI). It is possible to catch the virus, and be asymptomatic, in that period unless you have been in strict isolation, and even though asymptomatic be able to pass it on. There is a judgment to be made about the risk of that situation arising. I have two people who are really high risk in my social circle, and for them I am no-contact (as in, no visiting at all), even though community transmission is approaching zero.
posted by GeeEmm at 5:47 PM on June 8, 2020
posted by GeeEmm at 5:47 PM on June 8, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by whitewall at 1:04 PM on June 6, 2020 [4 favorites]