If you’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus, be prepared for the phone call from hell from public health.
They will call you and tell you to stay home, in complete isolation, for two weeks. You won’t be allowed to go for a walk or to pick up groceries. You will be confined to your home completely, unless you need urgent medical care.
I know someone with a compromised immune system who is going through this right now.
You will be told to monitor yourself for symptoms, like a fever or a cough, for 14 days. You will be told not to take any medications that can reduce a fever, such as Advil or Tylenol.
You will be told to go to the nearest emergency department if you have trouble breathing or cannot drink any fluids. If you need to go to the ER, you will need to phone ahead. If you need to call an ambulance, you will need to let them know you are had a known contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
You will be asked to wear a face mask if you have to be around other people. You will be told (of course) to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze and to wash your hands frequently. You will be told not to share anything – like hand towels, bedding or utensils – with other people in your home.
If you live with other people, you will be told they should stay somewhere else. If that’s impossible, you will be told not to share a bathroom with them and to make sure you’re sleeping in a different room with airflow.
You will be told to clean frequently touched surfaces – like counters, doorknobs and toilets – every day with regular cleaner or diluted bleach.
And you will be terrified. And alone.
What you likely won’t be is tested. B.C. is still focusing its testing on healthcare workers, people who are sick enough to be hospitalized, or people who are part of an outbreak in a long-term care home.
B.C. is now testing about 3,500 people every day and as of March 25, 34,561 people had been tested.
"Our testing strategy has been to focus on where we can make the most difference. If we flatten the curve, we will change our testing strategy again," Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s Provincial Health officer, said on March 21.
She said she hoped that within a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 crisis would have calmed down enough to start wider testing to detect where cases are coming from before they spread.
The World Health Organization is pushing for wider testing, saying testing, isolating and tracing is the only way to stop the virus. “Test, test, test,” is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO’s message to all countries.
I do agree with Henry’s assessment that “not everyone needs a test,” as long as they are staying in isolation. But peace of mind is worth a lot. Not testing people who are experiencing symptoms and who have had a known contact may cause a lot of undue anxiety. It could also mean that people who feel fine ignore public health orders to stay home and unwittingly spread the virus to others.
The day we can test widely will be the day we can take some measure of control of this virus. I hope that day comes sooner rather than later.
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