And the Results are In

On Monday I was tested for COVID-19.

​I had a physical so while I was there I asked about the antibody test. I was told the antibody test wasn’t available but I could get tested for the virus as it may be detectable by swab test for a time after symptoms have stopped (due to something called viral shedding).
​

​The swab was used for:

• a full respiratory viral panel by PCR (testing for 17 different infections)

• SARS-CoV-2RNA qualitative real-time RT-PCR (testing for COVID-19)

The results were negative. But, the news was bittersweet because, to be honest, I would have rather had the immunity. 

​I got really sick and got better. It would have been nice if that was it!

But here’s the kicker, the comment says “Negative results do not preclude respiratory virus infection.” Meaning, just because this test was negative, doesn’t mean I didn’t have an infection, just that the sample they took didn’t. And, the coronavirus test has been reported to have a false-negative rate as high as 30 percent!
​

​Coronavirus lives in the nasopharynx, where the nose meets the top of the throat, WAY in the back, and is difficult to sample (right). So, if the concentration of the virus is low (mild or post-infection) and/or the swab doesn’t get all the way into the nasopharynx, the cells with the viral genetic material could be missed and the test comes back negative.
​

So, since I had all the right symptoms but it had been well over a week since I’d had a fever, and false-negative results are possible with these tests, I still plan on getting the antibody test when it becomes more readily available in Nebraska.

​But until then, I plan to...