Covid tests

[Randy]

I’ve had 9 tests so far. I had a long swab test Saturday while I was an inpatient at the hospital and it caused a nose bleed.
There are at least 2 kinds of tests, a long swab test that feels like it touches your brain is very painful and there’s a short swab test that swabs the inside of your nostril and goes in a very short distance and isn’t even slightly uncomfortable. The short ones are slowly replacing the long ones. Obviously try to get a short test by calling ahead and asking but do get tested

 

[gryphon1911]

I’ve had the long swab test. I didn’t find it that bad, but I’m weird.

My wife works for a hospital and they stopped doing the short swab tests because they are the least accurate

 

[Palouse]

Out here you can get a (ONE) test if you are a U of Idaho student/staff/faculty. The rest of us need symptoms or a doctors order. No test on demand.

 

[pixel_a_ted]

I’ve had the long swab test. I didn’t find it that bad, but I’m weird.

My wife works for a hospital and they stopped doing the short swab tests because they are the least accurate

Do we know what is the accuracy of the long swab test (% false positives, % false negatives)?

 

[bsinc1962]

I've had two long swab tests as prerequisite to other medical tests for a gastrointestinal problem I'm working through. These were of the 10 minute result variety using a machine developed by Abbott.

 

[gryphon1911]

Do we know what is the accuracy of the long swab test (% false positives, % false negatives)?

the numbers I got for the short tests are in 60%, long in 90% range. Those percentages are accuracy ratings, not false positives. Just wanted to be clear.

I’ll try and see if I can dig up documentation to support that.

 

[Mike Buckley]

do get tested

Not possible at my doctor's office unless I am exhibiting symptoms or have come in contact with someone who has been tested positive for COVID.

 

[Randy]

the numbers I got for the short tests are in 60%, long in 90% range. Those percentages are accuracy ratings, not false positives. Just wanted to be clear.

I’ll try and see if I can dig up documentation to support that.

my 2 positives were shorts, the other 7 were longs and all were negative, i obviously prefer the longs for that reason and most of my 7 longs were uncomfortable but the one done in the hospital was clearly too deep, hurt bad and drew blood. The problem is there is no precise measurement to control how deep the nurse goes and how long they stay up there, it's supposed to be 5 seconds buy there is no stop watch used, it's the nurse counting and some nurses move it around after it's up there.

 

[Randy]

Not possible at my doctor's office unless I am exhibiting symptoms or have come in contact with someone who has been tested positive for COVID.

we have several places that don't ask those questions, which is the way it should be and who really knows if they've been exposed to a positive person

 

[7006]

I had the short, the long.
Many times.
I just roll with it, in the scheme of things it is nothing.

 

[mrbeal]

The problem is there is no precise measurement to control how deep the nurse goes and how long they stay up there, it's supposed to be 5 seconds buy there is no stop watch used, it's the nurse counting and some nurses move it around after it's up there.

The swab itself has lines in the plastic that show how far in to put it. From what I understand, if it isn't being twirled on the way in/out it isn't being done properly. I forget the length of time it's supposed to stay in but it is 5 or 10 seconds.
What we have been told is the Covid lives in the nasopharyngeal area so that's where the test is taken from. Unless there is new information that hasn't made its way to my ears a swab taken from just inside your nose is incorrect. I suppose a positive is a positive but not collected correctly.
Also, upward of 80% of people who have Covid show little to no symptoms.

 

[Randy]

The swab itself has lines in the plastic that show how far in to put it. From what I understand, if it isn't being twirled on the way in/out it isn't being done properly. I forget the length of time it's supposed to stay in but it is 5 or 10 seconds.
What we have been told is the Covid lives in the nasopharyngeal area so that's where the test is taken from. Unless there is new information that hasn't made its way to my ears a swab taken from just inside your nose is incorrect. I suppose a positive is a positive but not collected correctly.
Also, upward of 80% of people who have Covid show little to no symptoms.

after 9 tests I can assure you every nurse goes up a different amount and for a different amount of time and none swirl on the way up
And after having cancer for 14 years, 8 of which i have been stage 4 I know pain and some of these tests are pain level 7-8, the bleeder was an 8.5, best ones are a 5 but for 5-7 seconds
and in the scheme of things this is not nothing

 

[gryphon1911]

after 9 tests I can assure you every nurse goes up a different amount and for a different amount of time and none swirl on the way up
And after having cancer for 14 years, 8 of which i have been stage 4 I know pain and some of these tests are pain level 7-8, the bleeder was an 8.5, best ones are a 5 but for 5-7 seconds
and in the scheme of things this is not nothing

i feel for you and what you have had to go through. Not sure what to say about the administering of your tests, as that seems to be very different than the ones that I have received.

 

[Randy]

the numbers I got for the short tests are in 60%, long in 90% range. Those percentages are accuracy ratings, not false positives. Just wanted to be clear.

I’ll try and see if I can dig up documentation to support that.

Where did these numbers come from?

 

[gryphon1911]

Where did these numbers come from?

they come from a hospital an associate works at. Unfortunately, they are internal numbers so I cannot share the actual data. I don’t want anyone losing their job.

given that, please feel free to ignore them as “uncorroborated”.

 

[Randy]

they come from a hospital an associate works at. Unfortunately, they are internal numbers so I cannot share the actual data. I don’t want anyone losing their job.

given that, please feel free to ignore them as “uncorroborated”.

I doubt anyone is pulling numbers on a large enough scale to make the numbers statistically valid

 

[7006]

More or less BBC podcast looked at all these false positive in tests this week.
No spoiler here.
listen to it and make up your own mind

 

[gryphon1911]

I doubt anyone is pulling numbers on a large enough scale to make the numbers statistically valid

these are from a very large hospital and I trust their research department. It’s good enough for me, but as I mentioned earlier, I’m unable to provide evidence nor do I wish to name the institution.

I probably would have been better off not even bringing it up.

 

[Mike Buckley]

after 9 tests I can assure you every nurse goes up a different amount and for a different amount of time and none swirl on the way up

How could it possibly be otherwise?

 

[Randy]

How could it possibly be otherwise?

IF there are marks on the swab to indicate how deep to go nurses aren’t looking at them. There has to be a better way. I suspect most people who experience a ‘too deep’ test don’t want to do it again. Atrium hospital seems to be moving away from the long swabs. The parking lot tests are all short now. Try not to get a test in hospital or ER while laying down