My COVID swab pilgrimage pt. 1

Do I really need to be tested for COVID? That was a question that I spent quite a bit of time thinking about. I didn't want to overreact and waste the medical system’s time and tests (or my own time for that matter) but I also didn’t want to be irresponsible.

This internal debate happened in the context of me being really excited. Really excited to go back to my postponed placement. I’ve previously mentioned that I got a placement in an area of law that is my dream career. So it’s a really important thing for me, and I had just confirmed the dates that I would be going back.

Then some sniffles started happening, and a sore throat tagged along for the ride. I was very aware that “sore throat” is one of the listed COVID symptoms, and I was trying to figure out what to do with that. “Sore throat” is quite broad. If you’re like me then you regularly have what could be described as “sore throat”. Sometimes I just wake up and my throat feels a little weird, sometimes I just feel a little flat and my voice feels hoarse. So I’m basically in a constant state of being “symptomatic”, which sucks because (in the worst case scenario where I am infectious) someone is going to say to me, “if you had a sore throat why didn’t you go get tested?”

That’s my baseline, but my throat started feeling a little bit worse than just weird. “Well,” I thought to myself, “This is just great!” My placement was supposed to start again in three days. I could picture the article that would be written up about me “Infected Justice System: Student Ignored Symptoms!”. I didn’t want to be to blame for that. It’s also not how I want to kick off my entry into the workforce.

I had a GP look in my throat and they confirmed that I may have some kind of viral infection, they wrote up a form to get a COVID test. I was low-key exasperated. I knew I didn’t have COVID. I felt like they knew I didn’t have COVID. Why couldn’t they just tell me what I wanted to hear and let me get back to my life? I guess that’s the whole point of the test. So that we really know based on evidence rather than just saying what we like to hear.

Keep an eye out for Part 2 coming later today to see how it all unfolded...