After having one of our children exposed at school to a child that tested positive for Covid, the school called and told us we have to quarantine him for 14 days. So of course, my husband and I were like, "um, so then we have all been exposed right?" It scary because we've been doing all the things, washing our hands, wearing our masks, social distancing.
After letting it sink in that we were one step closer to Covid 19 than we had been before, I started making phone calls, starting with the kid's pediatrician. They told me we had a couple of options, but FIRST, DON'T GO GET TESTED IF THE EXPOSURE JUST HAPPENED. Here's why - Covid 19 symptoms take 2 to10 days to present, so getting tested immediately might give you a negative result, but not an accurate one. Since our child's exposure was on Friday, that was five days ago so my husband and I decided we wanted to get the entire family tested.
So I Googled "Where do I get a Covid test near me?" The list that came up was very extensive and started with mostly Urgent Care places. Those are rapid tests and you have to pay for them. I guess because they are privately owned they can do that. And I kept seeing that I needed an appointment AND a physician's recommendation for a test! So while our pediatrician could take care of the kid's recommendations, I would have to go to my physician for one and then my husband would have to go through the VA! That's a lot of hoop jumping! I called the pediatrician back and they gave me the toll free number to Hartford Healthcare's Critical Command Center at Midstate Medical in Meriden. That was the one closest to me. The nurse said that one of her teenage patients told her he went without an appointment OR a recommendation and got tested.
So here we go another phone call. 1-833-621-0600. BEST PHONE CALL YOU CAN MAKE!!! This a 24 hour hotline staffed with nurses who can answer all your questions and help you. I have to say, I got the most lovely, funny, calming nurse. I told her our story and asked her if I needed to go get 3 different doctor's recommendations and she stopped me right there. She said OH NO NO! Let's get you all in the system and get you tested. So she took all our info, names, date of birth, contact info, etc. and told us to head on over to Midstate Medical and look for the big, white tent. We did, they had our names at check in, and we drove right into the tent for testing.
We were all required to wear masks and stay in the car. The nurses there explained to us the procedure. Of course, kids being kids, they told the nurses that other kids told them they basically were getting their brains swabbed. The nurses were great and told them no, it's a lower nostril swab, 10 seconds and they swirl it around on each side and that's it. It actually tickles! And we were off.
So how do we get the results? The nurse on the hotline that I spoke with said it's best to sign up for the MyChartPlus emails so you have access to all your medical records. I'm big on e everything so that worked for me! Results would be in within 48 to 72 hours. So why didn't we get the rapid test? Our pediatrician told me that was an option but that test isn't as sensitive as the one we chose to get and I wanted definitive results! So while you can do a walk in at any urgent care facility, keep in mind that's a rapid test, results in 30 minutes and you will have to pay for that one. The one we chose takes a few days, you can just drive in or preregister at the phone number above.
So now we wait, and everyone says that's the hard part! I have to say we are all asymptomatic so none of us are too worried, but we'll see what happens and go from there. Moral of the story, DO NOT BE SCARED! The HCC Critical Care hotline nurses are AMAZING! Again, it's a 24 hour hotline so call! 1-833-621-0600!!!