Having a diagnostic test allows public health authorities to separate the infected from the uninfected
Let me explain the challenge, using my own recent experience as a “patient.” A couple weeks ago, I received my annual flu shot. The next evening, I felt some muscle aches, followed by a stuffy nose and fatigue. No fever, no cough.
Here’s the dilemma: a lot of other respiratory illnesses can look like Covid early on . In medicine, we call this the “differential diagnosis.” In order to reduce spread of Covid, we need to be able to distinguish between these pathogens easily and quickly – and with Covid, we really need to enlist the patient’s help.
I decided that the responsible course was to get tested, but the testing site where I work had reduced its operating hours and closed 20 minutes before I arrived. I considered going to the emergency room, but they don’t need to be flooded by people with minor illnesses. Plus, if I didn’t have Covid, the last thing I wanted was to risk getting exposed in a hospital “hot zone” from Covid patients. All the $25 rapid test kits were sold out at the local drug stores.
I doubt my experience is unique. The rapid Covid tests fly off the local pharmacy shelves as soon as they are stocked. I know others who have had similar difficulty finding the rapid tests. My colleagues with school-aged children confessed that they notify their circle of friends when the Covid tests hit the shelves and dash to the store and buy them up. No wonder I couldn’t find any.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Covid-19 Cases Rise in Pockets of North and West, Halting Delta Variant’s Decline in U.S.Covid-19 cases are climbing in the upper Midwest, Southwest and parts of the Northeast, stalling progress in ending the spread of the Delta variant just before Thanksgiving holiday travel.
Leer más »
COVID-19 surge fueled by unvaccinated children in U.K., a warning for CaliforniaThe U.K.'s challenges demonstrate how its overall vaccination efforts — while better than California's — are still not high enough for herd immunity.
Leer más »
How Joe Manganiello Kept His A-List Dungeons & Dragons Games Going During COVID-19Joe Manganiello explains how he kept his D&D group going throughout lockdown: 'We realized [COVID] wasn’t going away anytime soon. I had to pull it back to one night a week. It takes a lot to prep. It’s like preparing as a director to run a TV show.'
Leer más »
Covid vaccine ‘waning immunity’: How worried should I be?Is the effectiveness of Covid vaccines waning over time? We look at how much protection being double vaccinated offers.
Leer más »
China will stick to a zero-covid policy, for nowStrictness for the greater good continues to enjoy unmistakable public support in China. Why?
Leer más »
Covid: Dutch accept life within 'lockdown-lite'Most in the Netherlands support a new lockdown-lite, despite anti-lockdown protests making headlines.
Leer más »