LYNN — It was like being in a minor car accident. She tensed up, braced for something bad to happen, but sighed in relief when it was all over.
That’s how Lynn resident Lisa Mahmoud felt when she got tested for COVID-19 last Wednesday on the grounds of the now-closed Union Hospital on Lynnfield Street, which North Shore Medical Center is using as a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 during the pandemic.
Mahmoud got a call Friday, two days after the test, and was told she was “negative.” She was never sick, but knew she had come in close contact with a person with COVID-19, her boss at a local pharmacy.
“I was fearful at first,” Mahmoud said. “I’m 52 years old and I have aches and pains, and now I’m thinking every ache and pain is the coronavirus.”
Much to her dismay, the company Mahmoud works for did not inform her or her coworkers that she had been in contact with a COVID-19 patient, interacting with and using the same equipment as the infected person for hours at a time. However, Mahmoud’s boss made the decision to disclose the information herself. That’s when Mahmoud called her doctor, and was “phone triaged” — asked questions about symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, recent travel, and contact with an infected person.
Mahmoud’s doctor first suggested that she try to get a test set up through the company she works for, but her doctor ended up arranging the test for her instead. She got a call and was told to drive to the Union Hospital testing site at a specific time.
“They said, ‘Go to the south side of the hospital, and leave the window up,’” Mahmoud said. “They said, ‘Don’t be late, or you’ll have to call me. Don’t bring anyone else, or you’ll have to call me.’”
Mahmoud pulled up promptly for her test at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday with a mask on, as she was asked. She didn’t get out of the car at all, and there was a line of cars with other people getting tested. After waiting for one hour, it was Mahmoud’s turn. She was approached by someone in protective clothing, who asked her to roll down the window and tilt her head back.
The test included a “nasal swab,” as Mahmoud had a “Q-tip”-like stick with a small plastic cap on the end stuck up both nostrils. The instrument was then put in a vial, and Mahmoud was told she’d have results in a few days.
“They were very kind, down-to-earth people,” Mahmoud said. “They did say, ‘Pretend you’re positive until you get a call from us.’”
The test itself wasn’t bad, but Mahmoud was anxious for a few days, thinking she may have infected her 88-year-old mother or other family members. She practiced social distancing and stayed at home, but didn’t tell anyone what she was going through. Mahmoud said she started getting dandruff, which has only happened to her one other time, during a divorce.
Then, she got the call.
“After that, it’s like you can finally breathe,” Mahmoud said.
Although she tested negative, Mahmoud said the experience did have a fatalistic change on her perspective. She has three jobs, which she loves, but now thinks more about “What is worth it?” — spending time with family, or working constantly.
“I did have moments of clarity, like, ‘Why do I work so hard? To buy more crap?’” Mahmoud said.
Mahmoud has one piece of advice for others about to get tested: be patient, both with the actual test itself and waiting for results.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, getting a test may be difficult due to the increasing demand for tests and number of people contracting COVID-19. Most people who get COVID-19 experience mild illness, and should recover at home without necessarily getting a test.
If someone thinks they have come in contact with someone who has the coronavirus, they should call their doctor to ask about a test, rather than showing up in person. People may also visit their state or local departments of health websites for information about testing.
According to the CDC, those who test positive will be quarantined, and those who test negative should still practice social distancing and good hygiene during the pandemic. The virus is primarily spread directly from person to person via respiratory droplets, but may exist on surfaces for up to 72 hours.
The most common type of COVID-19 test is the “molecular test” that Mahmoud received. These are increasingly done at drive-up locations, according to GoodRx, and consist of a swab being placed deep into both nostrils and rotated for up to 15 seconds. Both false positives and false negatives are possible, and people should assess their symptoms and travel and contact history if they think they are sick.
There is the possibility that people who test positive can recover only to get “reinfected” with COVID-19. CNN reported that the South Korea CDC found 163 people recovered from the illness only to test positive again, with 44 percent of them showing “mild” symptoms after the apparent reinfection.