I can’t deny, I was somewhat reluctant to get tested for coronavirus, but not because I feared infection as much as I was concerned about the chaos that could ensue if the test result came back positive.
As a radio producer with SBS Arabic24, I consider myself lucky to have been labelled by the government as an ‘essential worker’ which allows me to continue working from the office, even during the peak of the outbreak in March.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, senior health officials have consistently advised to get tested should you experience symptoms.
Over and over, I had to watch the press briefings because, well, it’s my job to report on coronavirus to my community in Arabic.
I'll admit, the stories about asymptomatic people testing positive freaked me out. I frequently asked myself, am I one of them, and am I unintentionally spreading the virus?
Those stories combined with the campaigns about the importance of testing pushed me to finally do the test to put an end to my insecurity and to document my experience to those who fear being tested.
I talked to my manager to outline the possibility of having to go into 14 days of quarantine if the results came back positive.
Deep down, I hoped that she’d say no, so I don’t have to take the test and put my freedom in jeopardy.
Source: SBS Arabic24
She said yes! Now, I had to advise my flatmate because she’d also be quarantined if my test came back positive. She also said yes.
We were all set. COVID-19 test, here I come.
I booked a drive-through test at centre in North Ryde, Sydney. I also arranged for an interview with the head of the Microbiology Department, Dr Juliet Holland, to have my questions answered, especially the one about infected asymptomatic people.
On arrival, I was greeted by a friendly nurse who collected my sample. She started by verifying my driver’s license and the referral form I had previously obtained from my GP through a phone consultation.
She asked me to wear a mask and then inserted a long swab into my nose.
Source: SBS Arabic24
A few seconds of "reasonable" pain was followed by a great sense of relief – I had finally made the move and I no longer felt uncertain about the possibility of being infected without showing any symptoms.
Sample collectors and employees on-site were all wearing medical masks, gloves, and protective suits.
After having my nasal swab taken, I met with Dr Holland and asked her to address the fears of those too scared to get tested because of the "viruses flying everywhere" at the testing site.
She answered: "They won’t contract the virus here. As you can see, we have a drive-through, they’d be in the car on their own. And our collectors will be here, they have full gloves masks and gown, so they won’t have the infection.”
Dr Juliette Holland, head of microbiology department at Laverty Pathology. Source: SBS Arabic24
The sample is either taken from the top of the nose or throat and kept in a special package.
Dr Holland said that the next stage involved entering the sample number on the laboratory computers and matching the name of the examiner to both the swab and the referral form.
She explained that the testing process involved extracting the nuclear acid (the genetic material of the virus) and then detected by a process called a polymerised chain reaction.
The result gets entered into the computer and sent out to my mobile phone directly.
“It will also go off to your doctor. It will also be notified to the ministry of health so they can, therefore, track how many samples have been taken. That’s what you see on tv,” she added.
Dr Holland also explained the difference between swabs: “There's not a lot of difference. A thin swab goes through the nose into where the nose and throat join. Sometimes if people do not want or can’t do the nasal swab, we’ll take it from the back of the throat.”
My main question was whether I can be asymptomatic and still carry the virus. Dr Holland said It’s difficult to know because not every asymptomatic person is being tested.
“You can be infected and infectious for a day or 2 prior to getting symptoms, so it’s possible someone can be quite well on Monday but infectious. And then on Tuesday or Wednesday, they start to have symptoms,” she said.
But what about the rapid coronavirus tests we hear about in other countries? Where results come out in less than 45 minutes?
Dr Holland answered: "They’re not suitable for doing thousands of samples a day with this sort of instrument. We hope the turnaround time is 24 hours.”
I was a little confused and thought again about what would happen if my result returned positive. I anxiously thought about my co-workers and flatmate. Dr Holland then reassured me that less than 1 per cent of the samples collected return a positive result and concluded by saying, "It is somewhat rare”.
I followed the instructions to isolate myself until the results came in. It was a tough night with two main thoughts on my mind: Am I infected? How will I get through my isolation for fourteen days without being able to leave the house?
I surrendered to sleep and woke up the next morning to a text message saying that my test came back negative.
Do I regret this experience? No, on the contrary, I am happy to have been able to document my personal experience and I hope it will give others the information they need, so that they can get tested without hesitation if they develop any symptoms that are associated with coronavirus, such as throat pain, coughing, and high fever.
It is our duty to get tested if we develop symptoms, to demonstrate our concern for community safety and our personal safety. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. After the result appears, you will feel comfortable and will not take your thoughts further if you catch a cold or flu.
