Top 5 Questions from COVID-19 Testing

Last week, my colleagues and I collected more than 1,000 specimens for COVID-19 testing at a drive-up testing site at Riley Rink in Manchester. While it was difficult to see so many people distressed about their health, it was wonderful to provide the care they needed in as quickly and easily as we could.

We are grateful that the majority of the specimens we collected have tested negative. At the same time, we understand that this is no time to let our guard down. As time goes by, we expect to have more reports of concerns for positive tests and to need to conduct more vast testing operations like the one we did in Manchester.

From the people getting tested, we heard many of the same questions again and again. We thought it might be useful to share them, and their answers, here.

Is it going to hurt? Let’s be honest. It is not fun to have a specimen collected.  To collect the sample, the swab is inserted in the nostril and gently moved forward into the nasopharynx, a region of the pharynx that covers the roof of the mouth. The swab is then rotated for approximately 10 seconds, then the swab is removed. The expected reaction is that the patients’ eyes will water. Sometimes people sneeze. Some comment on having felt a burning sensation. Collecting the specimen in this manner is necessary for getting a specimen that will test accurately.

Will I throw up? Probably not. While we are working in the same general neighborhood as the area that can trigger a gag reflex, we don’t usually hit it, and patients don’t typically throw up.

What do you mean I have to go home? Many people were surprised when we asked them to return home and quarantine until their results were delivered. The recommendation is based on the idea that most people being tested were doing so because they suspected that they had had at least one exposure to someone with COVID.

As soon as you believe you have been exposed, we hope that you will quarantine for 7 days, get tested, and quarantine again until the results are known. Apart from preventing exposures—including masking, distancing, and handwashing—quarantining upon expected exposure is our best defense against the spread of COVID.

How do I get my results?
Results of PCR tests can take 24 – 96 hours. When you consider the test actually detects and amplifies DNA, even 96 hours seems tremendously fast. How you get your results depends on where you were tested and sometimes under what circumstances. Regardless, if your test comes back positive, you will get a call from a contact tracer. SVHC patients can sign up for the patient portal, which offers the quickest access to results for all sorts of hospital-related tests.

How long before I can socialize with friends and family?
If your results are negative, you can resume safe, socially distanced activities with people outside your household. Remember outdoor social situations are best. Wear your mask and stay 6 feet from people outside your household. Wash your hands before and after touching common objects. If your result is positive, you need to isolate.

Questions like these and others are among the most crucial aspects of delivering high-quality care. Knowing what your questions are is valuable to us as clinicians, and knowing the answers is often crucial to your health and wellbeing.  If you have a question while being tested for COVID, attending any other medical appointment, or undergoing any other medical procedure, I encourage you to ask. If you don’t get an answer you understand, please continue to ask and advocate for your concerns. It’s our responsibility to leave you feeling confident in the information you have received.

Laur Grande, MSN, RN, is the nursing director of Medical/Surgical Services and COIVD Testing Unit at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and was among the clinical staff testing patients at SVMC’s pop-up testing site.