Flunking the Test

Today I want to talk about CoVid testing – something that I think for the most part is nothing more than a distraction.

First, let’s clarify that there are two types of tests:  antibody and viral.  We can dismiss the antibody test fairly quickly.  It is a test for past infection; it does not establish that one currently does or does not have CoVid.  According to the CDC, “A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance a positive result means that you have antibodies from an infection with a virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses), such as the one that causes the common cold.” 

The antibody test does nothing to establish current numbers and does not establish that one definitely is immune from getting the virus (perhaps again).  If you want to have an antibody test for some personal reason, go ahead.  This is not the testing I am discussing today.

The viral test is the test that is used to provide the many numbers and statistics that parade across our media screens and papers daily.  According to the CDC, “Viral tests check samples from your respiratory system, such as a swab from the inside of your nose, to tell you if you currently have an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”

I understand that the viral test provides a wealth of statistics to the scientists and researchers who want to learn more about the virus’s spread, but beyond that I really don’t understand the point of taking one and I definitely don’t understand the ongoing hysteria about availability of tests or everyone’s desire to get tested.

Let’s step back a minute and use a personal example.  When I feel sick with something that might be a flu type illness, I treat myself at home.  I do not rush to find out if it really is the flu.  Of course, if I became so ill that I needed to go to a doctor or hospital, they would likely test me to discover if it was really the flu or something else so that they could properly treat me.  Otherwise, I would do self-care and keep myself away from others so as to try not to spread to others whatever was making me sick.

In a similar vein, what is the point of getting a CoVid test if I either do not feel sick (and there is no indication I have been exposed) or even if I do feel sick, but not so sick as to require a doctor?  If I found out for sure it was CoVid, I would just continue to treat myself at home – there is no cure or validated treatment for mild cases of CoVid.  Actually, there is less reason in such a circumstance to get a CoVid test than to get a flu test – there are actually treatments for the flu.

And, if one does get a CoVid test and it is negative, what does that prove?  Getting a negative test proves only that one does not have CoVid at that very moment of the test. In the next hour, depending on what that person does, whom he comes in contact with, etc., the person could become infected and a new test would be positive.    As the CDC states, “The test result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing. You may test negative if the sample was collected early in your infection and test positive later during your illness. You could also be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and get infected then. This means you could still spread the virus. If you develop symptoms later, you may need another test to determine if you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.”  So, unless one is   being tested constantly, one cannot be sure one is not ill, either with a very mild or asymptomatic case.

Of course, if one becomes so ill with symptoms that are consistent with CoVid that they feel they need a doctor, they should contact the doctor.  If one is that sick, they should be contacting the doctor no matter what, and at that point the doctor would likely order some tests, one of which would likely be for CoVid. 

When we have flu season, we don’t all run around being tested.  The vaccine is not fully effective, and some people cannot or choose not to take it.  People get sick and treat themselves at home.  We are all careful during flu season – washing our hands more, distancing ourselves from sick people or from other people if we are sick.  If we are sick enough to need medical treatment and/or a hospital, then we will be tested.

So how is CoVid any different?  Why all the hysteria, the long lines at the testing sites?  I submit that it is simply a distraction.   First, it provides some certainty, even if only for the moment of the test.  CoVid is proving that humans do not deal well with uncertainty and so they are seeking for something that will quell that, if even for only a moment.  It distracts them from accepting the fact that life is not predictable and that there is no one that will ever have all the answers or be able to remove all uncertainties from their existence. 

More importantly, the test results provide all sorts of statistics that allow the politicians ever more figures to selectively use to further their political agenda within the guise of CoVid.  One can find a statistic to “prove” any position – open/close, school/no school, masks/no masks, the way a particular leader is handling things is good/bad, etc.  Politicians can, and readily do, use statistics selectively to justify their actions – actions that often usurp an individual’s right to make their own choices.

This disease, the science behind it, its spread, are all very complex and our knowledge about it grows and changes daily.  The smartest thing that people can do is the same thing they do when there are other serious outbreaks:  avoid places where they might be infected, avoid those who are ill, wash their hands, and, in the case of a disease spread through the air, wear a mask.  With that, people can assess their own risk factors just as they do during flu season.   Everyone does not need a test, not even when they feel ill, anymore than everyone needs a test during flu season or a measles or tuberculosis outbreak. 

Testing is sometimes necessary, and in those instances a test should be done.  Those instances usually involve a sickness serious enough that a doctor is already involved. 

The problem with the testing is that it seems to imply that if we test enough then everything will be fine.  It will not.  Testing does not cure the disease.  What it does is keep people focused on that so that they perhaps forget that uncertainty is a part of life and instead will continue to look to their politicians to fix everything.