I answered the poll but basically for any cold or flu like symptoms.
I'm not really testing after exposures but that's mostly because I have not been exposed for months to have to worry about this scenario. I would test after exposure if it was someone in my home. If I knew I was with someone outside the home briefly that ended up testing positive, I probably wouldn't test unless I started to feel symptoms too. I also WFH though and am not in contact w/ a lot of people.
Not really testing before travel or parties if I feel fine, no one else in my circle is doing that.
I test whenever I feel out of the ordinary symptoms or if I have a fever. I don’t test for headaches or congestion because those are near daily occurrences for me.
Post by minniemouse on Jan 10, 2023 8:48:43 GMT -5
We test for symptoms or known exposures. Dd2 always has a stuffy nose. for her, I only test if she has other symptoms or if the stuffiness is worse than normal. I also don’t test for headaches if they resolve completely after drinking water or eating.
Testing for congestion plus fever, unusual cough, OR if we would be seeing higher-risk people, i.e. about to have a party/attend a family party or something like that.
I figure we are exposed all the time b/c of Covid at school being just like any other illness.
We test for symptoms or known exposures. Dd2 always has a stuffy nose. for her, I only test if she has other symptoms or if the stuffiness is worse than normal. I also don’t test for headaches if they resolve completely after drinking water or eating.
This is us. DS is mildly allergic to our cat and to dust, and has a severely deviated septum, so he is chronically stuffy. None of us have had a known exposure in a very long while, so the only times we test ourselves absent symptoms is if we've been in a riskier situation lately (i.e. been to a crowded museum, or traveled) and are going to be seeing someone vulnerable (like a relative going through chemo) or are asked.
As far as symptoms, I test myself if I have any sort of cold symptom (or worse, but I haven't had a fever or anything symptomatically worse than a cold (including my case of Covid) since early 2020).
DH does not test himself for mild congestion or drip-related occasional cough because he tends to assume it's just weather or whatever. He very rarely gets full blown colds so I just don't think it ever occurs to him that super mild symptoms could be viral.
We will test for major symptoms. Now that I’ve had it and know what it feels like I would test for those very specific body aches (that I had with actual covid and also after the vaccines) for myself. I test the kids if they have a fever or are acting very ill. But, really no one in my house (knock on wood) has been sick with anything that wasn’t covid for a year or so. We generally just don’t get sick all that often even pre covid. So I haven’t done much or any testing since August when DS and I had covid,
ETA: however this strategy makes little sense really because DD2 had covid in July. She had essentially no symptoms. I would definitely not have tested her. But, she was at overnight camp and they had an outbreak and tested everyone and she was positive. So really testing only for symptoms makes little sense. My insurance is the only insurance that has a waiver to not provide tests so it would be cost prohibitive to test constantly. And I didn’t test positive on a rapid home test anyway when I had covid. I tested negative three times and only tested positive on a NAAT test. So negatives on home tests don’t mean anything and lack of symptoms doesn’t mean anything. And there you go.
I'm testing whenever we have cold symptoms that seem severe enough to warrant it (eg. all fevers/elevated temperatures, persistent runny nose/cough that's worse than normal). When we all had Covid last Jan, it started with DD2 who had a super runny nose and the barest of a fever, it was like 99.5. Bright red positive as soon as the liquid hit the strip.
We don't get any notices for exposure anymore, so I haven't tested for that since 2021. I would if I knew we were indoors with someone who tested positive.
We always test before seeing grandparents. I usually test before seeing my sister's family who live 90 minutes away too. I don't test before seeing friends since the kids are all in school together anyway, so I figure we're already all exposed to each other so there isn't much point.
ETA: my kids get sick A LOT so we test pretty frequently. We've only had Covid once which was the big omicron wave last year. But we've had the flu and several other viruses this year. Thank goodness the tests are free with our insurance. Every time they get sick I expect the covid test to turn positive and I'm always surprised when it doesn't. DD2 (age 4 and in daycare) seems to be patient 0 most of the time.
Post by chilerellanos on Jan 10, 2023 10:47:57 GMT -5
Well, I’ve had it three times and I know when I have it. I test then.
I still test when I have symptoms and it’s negative. But at this point, the headache for me is different and unabating. Combined with the fatigue. I also am one who still loses their taste.
I just had influenza for new years and it felt completely different for me than Covid (other than the fatigue).
Post by icedcoffee on Jan 10, 2023 12:35:31 GMT -5
Mostly just for symptoms, but when my H got it we were testing the rest of the family every couple days.
@my sister's daycare requires weekly tests still. I thought that was kind of intense at this point in the pandemic, but obviously more testing is better than less.
If it weren't for my H having it I never would have known I had it. I wouldn't have tested for the symptoms I had so...I guess it's good he was patient zero. LOL
Post by goldengirlz on Jan 10, 2023 14:37:50 GMT -5
We always test for symptoms and when school requests it (as they do after long breaks.) We generally don’t test for exposure, but we did when H got it. (School required it for DC on day 3; I felt fine but tested out of curiosity.)
I’m one of the last people I know not to get covid yet, unless I just had an asymptotic case at some point and was unaware. I’m a bit baffled by it.
ETA: My H always packs tests with him whenever we travel anywhere. He might be a bit extreme. We don’t test for travel though unless our destination requires it, which is getting more uncommon for people who are vaccinated.
Post by estrellita on Jan 10, 2023 14:43:59 GMT -5
I said the major symptoms like fever, headache, etc (as long as the headache is with other symptoms, I literally always have a headache lol) and sometimes minor symptoms if we had known exposure. H and I had a minor cold the week after Thanksgiving but probably wouldn't have tested if my sister and mom hadn't tested positive. We were negative multiple times.
If we have the ability/time, I love taking the kids to the pedi for testing because they test for several things including covid, flu, different viruses, etc. But my kids haven't been that sick thankfully so we haven't had to do that.
None of us have ever tested positive so either we're amazing at avoiding it or we've had extremely minor or no symptoms. We'll be testing our immunity next week at Disney 😂
DD test weekly via school who has a program with the university. Tests are due Wednesday morning and I have results no later than noon on Thursday.
My DH has been sick for a month now. Had a sinus infection and has finished antibiotics and is still sick. He refuses to test because he doesn't know of anyone who has had covid and exposed him. DD and I are just keeping our distance and so far neither of us has picked up his germs.
Whenever I have a symptom of anything! People have said they thought they had allergies, and then tested positive, others have high fever. The symptoms have such a spectrum, I think that’s the safest bet.
Ok douche, go ahead and call it mud. My husband DID have halitosis. We addressed it after I talked to you girls on here and guess what? Years later, no problem. Mofongo, you're a cunt. Eat shit. ~anonnamus
My partner's positive was a precautionary test right before we planned to see a bunch of sensitive family members(olds, infant, pregnant). We've kept up that habit and generally test if we'll be at a bigger party (more than 3 households mingling).
I get exposed regularly at work and the policy is still that you test to be in the office. Sometimes I just WFH, sometimes I will test and come in, depends on what is going on.
It helps that the state provides free tests monthly, so we've been able to stay mostly stocked there. Our health insurance makes it a PITA so it's 50/50 on if I can get it approved or just end up eating the cost.
We test for basically any sort of sick feeling symptom. On our most recent bout of Covid, my husband tested positive with just a headache, and the only real reason he tested for that was because we had friends planning to come stay with us that day.
We typically don’t test without symptoms unless we plan to be around higher-risk friends/family, and will then test before any get together or if anyone asks we will test.
We test after travel, a known exposure, as well as with any symptom that isn't inline with our normal body symptoms. That sounds weird, but I am regularly stuffy and have a chronic cough, but if it's worse than normal or I have another symptom with that, I test. This worked well for me when I tested positive in December. I was stuffier than normal and felt a little feverish (no fever though) and was positive.