Well, here we go again. If you can't get there by golf cart, then it doesn't exist.

Nah, this is why.

“And don’t forget, we have more cases than anybody in the world. But why? Because we do more testing.”
“When you test, you have a case. When you test, you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases.”

There's a 14-day incubation period. During that 14 day period you could test positive, without having any symptoms yet. Knowing in advance that you DO have the virus, can help you prepare, AND can be your notification that it's time to self-quarantine so you don't give it to anyone else.

A negative result won't offer this, I understand. But a positive result can possibly save your life, and the lives of everyone around you.

Assuming you have enough faith in your immune system....that is the only thing available today to fight the virus. Could be the longest 14 days of your life.

A woman just posted on The Villages Talk Facebook that she got an antibodies test done on Saturday at the new pharmacy at Freedom Plaza. That's the new shopping center west of the new Brownwood Hotel on 44. She said it was $30, she didn't need an appointment. I asked why she got the test, and she said she is in a high risk group and hadn't been feeling well lately, her test was negative.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...4a&oe=5EE80F0C

Making sure you have aspirin or other fever-reducing product at home. Making sure your doctor and the hospital know that you have the virus. Making sure anyone living with you is aware that you test positive and also get tested if they haven't already. If people living with you test negative, creating an "isolation" room for yourself or for them, to prevent them from getting infected, or making arrangements for one or both of you to spend the next few weeks somewhere else.

There are ways to REDUCE the risk of death if you test positive. Yes your own ability to fight it off is important, crucial even. But if the hospital knows that you might become an "incoming COVID-19" patient if your symptoms get bad enough, they might be better able to handle you, than if you show up without notice to the ER.

Probably because many of us have no interest in being tested.

If we wanted to be tested, I bet we can find a place to do it.

What is so hard to understand? If you get tested at 10:00AM and get infected at 2:00 PM your test is going to be negative. You'll be walking around all fat, dumb and happy that you tested negative, but that won't be true because you are infected. For testing to have any benefit is if you are tested daily.

Except many of these antibody tests that are being pushed by drug stores were bought BEFORE the CDC required they first be approved and are very inaccurate. For her benefit she might want to check the efficacy of her specific test if that is possible. Besides, if "she hadn't been feeling well lately" an antibody test could be useless as it's primarily for AFTER you have recovered to see if you have the antibodies and not while you still aren't feeling well. The pharmacies are going to prosper off this from those who don't understand.

From CDC: Antibody blood tests, also called antibody tests, check your blood by looking for antibodies, which show if you had a previous infection with the virus. Depending on when someone was infected and the timing of the test, the test may not find antibodies in someone with a current COVID-19 infection.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby View Post
There's a 14-day incubation period. During that 14 day period you could test positive, without having any symptoms yet. Knowing in advance that you DO have the virus, can help you prepare, AND can be your notification that it's time to self-quarantine so you don't give it to anyone else.

A negative result won't offer this, I understand. But a positive result can possibly save your life, and the lives of everyone around you.

Read what Orange Blossum posted. What if you feel mildly sick, not bad enough to call a doctor, but just to be sure, you get a test, and test positive. Then you isolate, cancel your plans to party at Cody's that evening, and don't infect a dozen other people. A free no-hassle virus test seems quite worthwhile and valuable to public health, doesn't it?

If you test POSITIVE you will know that you need to prepare for potential symptoms, AND you'll know that you need to isolate yourself from your family/friends for a couple of weeks AND you'll know you'll need to stay home from work if you work, AND you'll know you have to cancel your appointment with the eye doctor and reschedule AND you'll know - a whole lot of things -

all things you won't know you need to do, if you don't get tested at all.

You are totally correct OBB

If you do not have symptoms why go to a testing centre?
A lot of people with symptoms maybe waiting for a test!
Do the testers change all their protective clothing after each test?

If you get tested for the virus, and test positive, you can isolate for the 14 days or more assuming you develop symptoms.

If you test negative for the virus, that means you do not have it at the time of the test. How many days will you wait before you go and get tested again, "just in case you pick it up."

With symptoms, test makes sense; without symptoms test for virus makes less sense unless you are testing for antibodies, or you know you have recently been around a person who is/was tested positive.

Again a negative test for antibodies only means you are negative at the time of the test. Positive means you were exposed, but does not prove immunity--at least yet.

I had labs done for a regular follow-up and asked the lab tech at my doctor's office if she could also get me an antibody test. She said she could do it if the doctor ordered it, but he was not in that day.

Great response Viking jr.