The Trouble with Testing
May. 25th, 2020 10:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blogcutterIn Ontario at least, the number of tests performed to detect cases of Covid-19 has been falling far below the target level for quite a while now. It was recently announced that now ANYONE who wants to can get tested, regardless of circumstances. For me that raises the question: Who WANTS to be tested? I for one do not - not at the moment, anyway.
I have none of the typical symptoms. But supposing I did go ahead and get tested anyway, and tested positive? Presumably then I would be required to self-isolate for two weeks. I certainly don't want that to happen - I'm living with enough restrictions on my movements already! Of course, if I expected to come into contact with (or even masked and at least two metres away from) people who were especially vulnerable, I'm sure I would revisit that decision.
Will we reach a point where everyone will be subject to arbitrary and random testing, regardless of our daily activities? I hope not!
As things stand at the moment, Ford is telling us "Go get tested - bring the family!" It's as if getting the testing numbers up to maximum capacity were an end in itself, not a well thought-out strategy in combating the virus. No wonder a lot of people are prone to "test-hesitancy"!
He also exhibits a distinct lack of understanding about how many people live. Plenty of people have no access to a car, especially during the pandemic when we're not allowed to offer or accept a ride with someone not from our household. So in the absence of a lot more mobile testing vans cruising the neighbourhoods, how are people expected to get to the test sites? Yes, there's still public transit, but that's been drastically reduced.
We're definitely still in uncharted waters. And those waters can be pretty choppy at times!
I have none of the typical symptoms. But supposing I did go ahead and get tested anyway, and tested positive? Presumably then I would be required to self-isolate for two weeks. I certainly don't want that to happen - I'm living with enough restrictions on my movements already! Of course, if I expected to come into contact with (or even masked and at least two metres away from) people who were especially vulnerable, I'm sure I would revisit that decision.
Will we reach a point where everyone will be subject to arbitrary and random testing, regardless of our daily activities? I hope not!
As things stand at the moment, Ford is telling us "Go get tested - bring the family!" It's as if getting the testing numbers up to maximum capacity were an end in itself, not a well thought-out strategy in combating the virus. No wonder a lot of people are prone to "test-hesitancy"!
He also exhibits a distinct lack of understanding about how many people live. Plenty of people have no access to a car, especially during the pandemic when we're not allowed to offer or accept a ride with someone not from our household. So in the absence of a lot more mobile testing vans cruising the neighbourhoods, how are people expected to get to the test sites? Yes, there's still public transit, but that's been drastically reduced.
We're definitely still in uncharted waters. And those waters can be pretty choppy at times!
(frozen) (no subject)
Date: 2020-05-25 03:41 pm (UTC)