I reckon the world has gone crazy, and as such - I also acknowledge that it may be 'just me' (so take my remarks with a grain of salt and draw your own conclusions). My comments and insights are just the garbage that rattles around in my mind - intelligent people need to make up their own minds, so don't kick me in the crackers if you don't like my viewpoint.
BUT, here goes:
If you're feeling sick, rushing out to get a COVID test is ridiculous. When you're immuno-compromised or suprressed, toddling off to stand in line with a bunch of sick people is dangerously crazy advice. I reckon you should stay home, rest, drink plenty of water, have a family member keep an eye on you if possible, and be ready to escalate (call 000) if you feel your condition slipping. (and when you call, describe your symptoms as carefully as you can).
Ideally, if you have a thermometer or something, self monitor your temperature and use that as a guide, watching really carefully if it inches up past 38.
Testing isn't really for your benefit, but theoretically the management of the disease, and all that contract tracing garbage. After the test you're told to go home and isolate. If the test returns positive, you're further told to isolate. You don't get any special care - that happens in a medical emergency.
The simple fact of the matter is, it's abundantly recognised that asymptomatic, mildly sick, or even quite sick people are not getting tested, and may or may not have COVID. They bandy about 'no community transmission' and 'our numbers look good' when really those numbers are representative, not concrete - and a lot of the public commentary around this is political theatre (all just my opinion - but politicians consult their PR team before deciding what they can or cannot do or say - so it's the marketeers ruling the world by proxy right now, as terrifying as that sounds - because I never met a marketing manager that I didn't want to kick in the goolies).
They're so shocked when they find cases that they can't figure out the origin of, when there is obviously, right now, a degree of community transmission, none of these cases are lurching into the public eye because they're just not that severe - people are getting sick and getting well again and missing out on the testing window). (And yep, I actually advocate that, but again what do I know ?)
I'm not trying to be dismissive - I just think rushing out into public is poor advice, especially for more vulnerable people - be it older, immunocompromised from cancer treatment, or whatnot.
Context - (and yes, I recognise this is with measures in place) there have been 900ish aussie deaths to COVID-19. Lamentable. Terrible. Nobody wants to die (although we all do).
This time last year, there were more than 800 influenza deaths for the comparable period.
(yes yes, and I get it that this is with spread prevention measures in place).
There are less than 100 flu deaths this year (again thanks to the measures)
So the point is - the measures like social distancing do help you to stop from getting sick. Yeah, there are COVID centres that will come and test you in your car (FFS dont drive if you have a fever, you might kill one of my kids), but I visited a QML testing place a month or so ago, and there was a line-up around the corner, some people standing in the line were coughing here and there. Many wore masks. Some didn't. Not that masks trap all airborne particles, that's science.... reach up, adjust the mask, particles on fingers. Touch wall to steady yourself, particles on wall. If we really want to be paranoid, then let's at least think in those terms and be LOGICAL too.
So - the disease spreads by exposure to people. If you're immuno-compromised, you're at higher risk of getting sick. If you are sick with the flu, you may also pick up COVID (or some other bug, like a communicable tummy bug), all of which you'll catch by going out bravely into the wide world and breathing in the air or kissing someone.
So yeah - if you're feeling sick, don't go out, stay at home, drink and rest.
That's my two cents, but hey, what do I know - the sky is falling, right ?
I'm 48 years old, and I may already be passed my use-by. Given 6 months back in 2016. The median age for COVID19 deaths globally is 84 years old, and female persons are more vulnerable apparently. Noting that's global numbers, so it's probably somewhat higher, as the average age creeps down in countries with poor healthcare systems or management protocols.
If you happen to be in that group and feel a little bit sick - I think going out to a testing place is imprudent.
Yes, there are people who die overnight unexpectedly from COVID19, even young people. And there are people who get run over by busses (I was actually hit by a bus as a young child, random fun fact)
In Australia, we have about 150,000 deaths on an average year, and 300,000+ live births. Similar pattern around the world, we're making more people and losing fewer. The suicide rate is projected to spike upward by around 15% or more, and there's likely to be an unknown consequential death toll for other diseases (like cancer) where people miss out on treatment windows because they're scared to leave the house.
I'm more concerned about those secondary consequences of the management of the outbreak than the outbreak itself, personally (but hey, I'm a moron). I reckon, as the face of human commerce changes, geopolitlcal interests and national borders change, it's possible that we might regress a little. It was only the 80s that our biggest concern was global thermonuclear war, and we (humans I mean) have kinda put it in low gear since, engaging in motivated surgical wars (kinda). Unemployment. Depression. Crime. Scarcity. I personally see all of the above as more of a threat than death by COVID. But hey, I have quite young kids, and most of my thoughts centre on them. We seem to think we're enlightened now (just my impression) what with our aGender politics, karens and whatnot. But it was only 100 years ago that humanity was finishing up a major global war, and another one followed just 20 years ish later.
Bad decisions lead to bad outcomes.
Don't be scared. Be smart. I think it's smart to rest when you're sick.
Just my two cents.
