Testing Positive for COVID-19

Recently, I was tested for COVID-19. Well, let me back up a little and give some background to this story.

I work for an organization. Not just an ordinary organization--one with a lot of kids. Anyways, I coordinated for the public health authority to come to our institution and test our staff. Of course, this was all voluntary. 

Only 16% of our staff came to get the PCR test. Sixteen percent. Dieciséis por ciento. Let that sink in a bit. Not even a quarter of a population.

Any way, although I coordinated the event and I didn't have any symptoms what so ever, I volunteered. I chose to take the swab to the back of the lining of my brain. Not fun. It felt like a stick rubbing and turning inside your face while it scratches the back of what could possibly be the furtherest anything can ever go. I tested positive.

Yup. I tested positive for the coronavirus. The results weren't instant. Nope. It took the health authority three days to provide the results. 

Thursday night my coworker and I were receiving results of the test. It was pouring in slowly. At 10 or so we decided to call it a night and check on the results the following morning.

That morning--early morning--I received a call from my coworker that I couldn't come to work. She instructed me that I shall quarantine at my home until September 20th. 

This caught me by surprise, to say the least. How could this have happened? Who gave me the virus? Was it my friend? Was it Vegas? Was it my girlfriend? The gym? Who? 

I was in denial. I took it as a joke. But then reality hit. I had to respond and think of those I was in contact with during the past week. I called my girlfriend--she was upset. I texted my ex-wife--she was concerned about our child. I told my kid, she couldn't go to school until she took an antigen test. I texted my best friend who I traveled to Vegas with because he was scheduled to pick up his daughter that evening.

I told my coworker all the people that could have been close contacts. I expressed my concerns about one of my coworkers who is a cancer survivor and asked that they list her as a possible close contact. 

Everything was flooding into my brain and I was feeling exhausted. 

My kid tested negative twice. So did my girlfriend. My best friend tested negative in the PCR test. This wasn't Vegas. It was at home, I thought. It kept me up for hours one night as I tried to remember who wasn't wearing masks. 

Living in Texas you have two breeds of the same kind. You have those who don't wear a mask, period, for political reasons. And you have those who wear a mask, period, for political reasons. Unfortunately, a piece of cloth became a political divide. 

I am here to say that I wore a mask not for political reasons. In fact, I have to admit, I chose not to wear a mask at the gym. Why, should I? I was socially distant, I argued my defense to my epidemiologist girlfriend. 

Well. The thing is, we need to wear a mask not for us or our freedom or whatever. We need to wear a mask for others. Period.

This is a new virus. We don't know much about it--we are getting there, but not yet. Our scientists and doctors are playing catch-up because we aren't allowing them time to evaluate a variant long enough to solve it. 

To put it into perspective: I was one of 16% of our staff who tested positive. Statistically, that would mean 6 out of 100 of our employees are carrying the virus and spreading it without even showing signs. 

Considering that only about 70% adults are fully vaccinated, that would mean 2 of those 6 carrying the virus would feel the effects of COVID-19. 

The one thing that is helping slow the spread is the face mask. I wear mine at work. The only time I don't at work is when I'm alone in my office. Big mistake. 

Outside of work, I wear it everywhere, except the gym. Big mistake.

I implore all of you to just consider masking and testing. Both will slow the spread of the virus. Stop with the politics. It's not you against me. It's not me against you. No one has the upper hand.

The virus doesn't care about politics. It doesn't care if you are Republican or Democrat. It doesn't care if you are a Trumper or a Bidenist. It feeds on our ignorance, period. Full Stop.