COVID Testing for the Third Time


We are fortunate in Peoria to have free and easily accessible COVID testing at a parking lot, downtown near the Civic Center. 


I know because I have had to avail myself of it three times: in June when we wanted to drive my parents in our car for three hours; in July when one of Luke's football teammates tested posted; and most recently, yesterday, when I was feeling a little punk.

 

The process is very easy. Workers, like the man above, have you fill out a one page form. You give it back to him and then wait in a line of cars.

The workers who administer the tests are in the tent. Just like at the doctor's they have you double check the vial they are using, to make sure it has your name and birthdate on it. The first time I was tested, I did the nasal swab myself. But the other times, the workers did it. They swipe the swab inside each nostril a few times. You stay in the car for the testing. Drive thru testing.

For once, I picked the fasted moving line and only had to wait about 15 minutes.


What was also fast was the time I had to wait for my results: in June, it was a week; in July, four days, this most recent time, only 24 hours. Very happy that it was negative each time. Looking forward to this pandemic being over, but in the meantime grateful that we have this available testing. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tribute to My Uncle Al

Image
My Uncle Al passed away the day before Thanksgiving. Here is his obituary  Like many deaths in this time of COVID, it was hard. But that's not what I want to focus on. I want to focus on him and his life because he was so much fun.  When we were kids, we were fortunate to be able to spend time on my grandparents farm. My uncle Al who farmed corn, soybeans, and hogs, lived there too. When we would stumble out of bed around eight o'clock, he would often be reading the paper in the rocking chair, on a morning break from the day's worth of work he had already done. As we came down the stairs, he would ask, "Are you sick? You were sleeping so long?" When the grandkids were on these visits to the farm, our Grandma would always say we'd do "something special." Al would chime in, "Yes, we'll have a nice, cold glass of water." When we balked at that, he'd say, "Then maybe a relaxing nap." When we let him know this wasn't what w...
Read more

Gold Star Mass at St. Mark's Catholic Church, May 31, 2021

Image
Photo by Peoria Journal Star photographer Conor Courtney The St. Mark’s Church basement is a basement lover's delight. Dark and cavernous, with pockets that seem to go on forever, it is filled with stuff from the church’s 130-year-long existence. It was not until my 57 th year as a St. Mark’s parishioner that I descended into its recesses, courtesy of Bob Ripp, the Boy Scout leader and unpaid parish handyman, who gave me a tour. Bob is a regular frequenter of the basement, as it is where the Boy Scouts meet. Amidst all the stuff—old pews, photos, Christmas decorations—Bob pulled out a three-foot-high, worn, wooden plaque in the shape of a cross. The faux bronze façade had lost its luster and there were cracks and chips in the wood. The plaque had been commissioned by Boland Mortuary, and on it were listed the nine men of the parish who gave their lives in World War II.                     ...
Read more

Working on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico (photos by John Carroll)

Image
In January, John spent three weeks working at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico.  He volunteered at the federally run hospital through Project Hope. John was impressed by how well run the hospital was.  During his time at the hospital, John worked at an outdoor COVID clinic.  He also did telemedicine, checking in on people at home who were on oxygen. The Navajo Nation, which is in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, is larger than the state of West Virginia. It is a challenging place to live: one third of the people don't have running water and only 60 percent have electricity. Despite the wide open spaces, COVID was rampant on the Nation earlier in the year.  However, since then, rates have declined. Medical workers have done a great job getting the vaccine to people. But COVID took its toll. John talked with many people who had lost multiple family members to the virus.  Besides the difficulties of poverty, many of the Navajo people have co...
Read more