It Took Me 3 E.R. Visits to Get a Coronavirus Test in New York | Hacker News Reader

It Took Me 3 E.R. Visits to Get a Coronavirus Test in New York

nytimes.com

50 pointsvo2maxer13 comments

So don't go to the ER when you think that you have a disease. That is not the purpose of the ER. Not only will it make it harder for people in emergency situations to get care, it will also cost a lot. See the answers to this question for more helpful suggestions.

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/45993/does-a-co...

The authority of a stackexchange thread notwithstanding - ER and urgent care visits are what happens when primary care physicians cannot accept same-day consultations with patients. By all means try to call your primary doctor, but if they can't see you that day I would ask them if the prudent course of action is to seek immediate medical care at the ER or urgent care.

Per the article:

He saw his PCP same day, they examined him, but said he should go to the ER.

He called the CoronaVirus hotline, which also said he should go to the ER.

She

Yep, I passed out just after a surgery so I went to the ER. If it was before 5:30 I'd had called/visited my doctor. If I had arrived at 9PM instead of 9:30 I would have used the urgent care. So I went to the closest medical services in 200 miles.

I am sure you read the article, so I am sure you know that this was the advice of her primary care provider and the coronavirus hotline.

The author's whole point is there are contradictory approaches being taken.

"Just in case, I went to my primary care practice...When I said I wondered if I had the coronavirus, the nurse told me I should have gone straight to the hospital."

"A few days later, I developed a fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, and tremors in my hands."

"Last Tuesday, after a night fever of 100.8, I called the new New York State coronavirus hotline. I was told to go to the hospital for a test."

"But the attending doctor came in without a mask and offered his bare hand for a shake. He assured me that I was low-risk because I hadn’t been to an epidemic country like Italy, South Korea, or China. The hospital would not test me, since I did not meet the hospital’s criterion for testing, travel to one of those countries...If I felt sick, stay home, and if I felt well, go out. I should only come to the hospital if I felt sick enough to need hospitalization."

News of the Coronavirus coming to the US seems to be following a wave of flu like diseases that have hit my family. Everyone I know seems to be sick with some creeping crud. I think it's going to be REALLY hard to identify actual cases of Coronavirus while everyone is sick with some Flu or Cold.

> But the attending doctor came in without a mask and offered his bare hand for a shake. He assured me that I was low-risk because I hadn’t been to an epidemic country like Italy, South Korea, or China.

> This time, the E.R. doctor put on a mask, gloves and a gown before entering my room. She explained that the criteria were still not actually that broad: People would be tested if they had either traveled to an epicenter or had knowingly come into direct contact with a diagnosed coronavirus patient.

Other human coronaviruses remain viable for up to 9 days on 'common' surfaces.[0] Traveling through an airport at the same time as (or shortly after) a known patient is a massive loophole that is not being accounted for. At this point, we're asking for a pandemic.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-surfaces-exp...

"Thinking I had the symptoms" ... this is why the shortage of test kits is so critical - you can't (easily) dismiss those with similar symptoms in a way that leaves them feeling as though you cared for them. You'll get some small percentage of hypochondriacs who show up repeatedly but most people will hunker down and watch their symptoms disappear.

I ended up with bronchitis after a trip to Cuba in January, so how will I even know if I end up with a lung illness related to COVID-19? Let's get those tests into mass production.

P.S. I saw the link to the Wired article which quotes Trump as saying the tests are all perfect (and available). I wish/hope/pray that this is true.

And the shortage would be not so big a deal if it wasn't circulating in the US and we were doing a good job at entry and exit ports, but with news about community spread, we can no longer confidently say that you very likely don't have COVID in NYC if you haven't come into context with someone with a travel history

What the hell is wrong with the author of this article? If you aren't in a vulnerable population (60+, compromised immune system) you're literally spreading the disease by visiting multiple ERs.

If you're a healthy adult and suspect you may have coronavirus you should SELF ISOLATE! The author of this article is supremely irresponsible.

Seventh paragraph: "Just in case, I went to my primary care practice — I have an immune disorder that could make me more susceptible to illness,"

Can you read?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com