Where you guys were talking about this. I don't get on here much but taking one look around it seems as if it is business as usual! I don't see any advice on precautions, resources for testing, recommendations for hobbying, etc. Where have our doctors gone?
The MN Department of Health has many in-person, FREE testing options available here:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/index.html
Order a test to take AT HOME while under your rock after your recent appointment, and mail it in! FREE! :
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/athome.html
Some info from the state:
Anyone with symptoms should seek out testing immediately.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell. Read more about symptoms of COVID-19 and what you should do if you have symptoms, including information on COVID-19 in other languages.
Stay home when you are sick, whether you seek out testing or not. If you leave your home to get a test, wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from other people. The COVID-19 Test at Home program may be your best option for getting tested in the comfort of your own home.
If you have moderate to severe symptoms, do not visit a COVID-19 Community Testing Site. Call your doctor or other health care provider or go to the hospital.
2) Anyone who was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should get tested.
If you had close contact with a person with COVID-19, you need to stay home and away from others (quarantine). COVID-19 can take up to 14 days to make you sick, and some people with COVID-19 never feel sick, so you need to separate yourself from others so you don’t spread the virus without knowing it.
The safest option is to stay home and away from others for 14 days. However, updated guidance from the CDC provides certain situations where you may consider ending your quarantine sooner.
You may consider being around others and ending your quarantine after seven days only if:
You get tested for COVID-19 at least five full days after you had close contact with someone with COVID-19, and the test is negative.
You do not have any symptoms.
No one in your home has COVID-19, and you do not live in a building with other people, where it’s hard to stay away from others and easy to spread the virus to multiple people, like a long-term care facility.
If you end your quarantine after seven days, you must still watch for symptoms through day 14, and continue to wear a mask and social distance from others.
You cannot end your quarantine before seven days for any reason.
The COVID-19 Test at Home program may be your best option for getting tested, particularly if you learn about exposure early in the 14-day window.
If you would prefer to visit a Community Testing Site, make an appointment. If the site nearest you has no available appointments on the day you’re looking to get tested, either look at a later date or try finding a testing location a little farther away.
3) Anyone who is still working at places that remain open during Dial Back, Minnesota, as part of a screening testing strategy. This includes critical infrastructure, first responders, health care, retail, schools, child care, etc.
If you do not have symptoms and you have not been notified of exposure, you are still at risk given how quickly the virus is spreading.
Make a plan to get tested at least once before December 18, 2020. If possible, get tested once near the beginning of the four-week period and once again near the end of the four-week period.
We urge you to make an appointment at a Community Testing Site. Plan ahead to find an available appointment, even if that includes looking at a testing location a little farther away.
The COVID-19 Test at Home program may also be a good option for those getting tested as part of a screening strategy.
Which test is right for me?
These tests check whether you have COVID-19 right now and can spread it to others.
Nasal swab test
A nasal swab looks like a long Q-tip. It is inserted about 2 inches into your nose and swirled around for a few seconds. The swab is then removed and sent to a lab for testing. You may experience a tickling sensation while the swab is in your nose, and after it is removed, you might sneeze or have runny eyes for a moment or two. Nasal swab tests are fast and accurate, and they’re a good option for most people.
Saliva test
You do saliva tests yourself. After you are shown how to do the test, you will spit several times into a funnel attached to a tube, and then seal the test with a plug to complete the test. The plug releases a preservative, which keeps the sample good for up to two (2) weeks, without needing refrigeration. If you are at a testing location, you will then hand your sample to a staff person. If you are doing the test at home, you will put the sample into a prepaid envelope and send it out. Most people need 10-12 minutes to make enough spit to fill the tube. Saliva tests are more comfortable than nasal swabs and just as accurate, but they may not be a good option for those with low saliva production, such as very young children or people who have suffered a stroke.
Tips for Making a Plan
While testing sites remain open for walk-ins, we strongly encourage people to make an appointment and only use the walk-in option if you need a test today. Too many people coming without an appointment can create lines and increase potential for unsafe in-person gatherings.
Testing sites in Greater Minnesota and outer ring suburbs generally have more appointment availability than sites in the core metro. Look at testing sites near you to find one with available appointments.
Make sure you know what to do while you wait for your test to arrive in the mail and after you’ve been tested. Visit “I got Tested - Now What” for more information.
So I am sure I will get some grief for this because "the virus isn't real or "my body my choice" - isn't it ironic? Well some of you guys are older and not everyone is the healthiest pup - so I want you to stay safe and keep enjoying your life, ya filthy animals!
If were hobbying I would meet once every two weeks or more, and check temperatures/consider testing in between. The at home tests are super easy, you can order multiple tests, and they are FREE - even free shipping! 2 day results! If No excuses anymore. I would love to see more COVID precautions outlined in the ads. The goal should be fun but the journey there should be safe as possible. With everything being free I really don't see the issue.
XOXO