So Mad with Covid testing for DH

[PunkyBoo]

I need to get this off my chest because I'm furious, but am so overwhelmingly busy with work and need to regain my focus today.
On Friday at 4pm, DH was notified that a guy he worked several hours with last Monday was tested positive for covid. He works managing a construction project, in a jobsite trailer. He was told to pack up his stuff to work at home for at least a week, and can't return to the trailer until he has tested negative. So he spent literally 3 hours packing up his computers and files, while online and calling to arrange a covid test asap. He got a test appointment for this morning. After he got home, his boss (who was also in the trailer with them on Monday) said he had family that work in healthcare and can get them both tested Monday afternoon. In addition to the stress of worrying if he might get sick, and exposed me and the kids all week, we spent most of the weekend (including father's day) reorganizing, cleaning, and moving furniture around to set up a space for him to work, because I've been working from home since early April and the kids are home, obviously. They sanitized the trailer on Saturday. So he worked from home yesterday morning, and then met his boss at the clinic (50+ miles from our house) to have the tests. They ran the antibody test which was negative. He won't get the swab test results for a couple of days. DH understands that the negative antibody test is virtually useless, and does not mean that he is negative for covid (and has a huge error rate). His boss said, great, we're both negative, I need you back at the trailer in the morning. When DH said no, that doesn't mean we're negative, plus he's spent so much time getting set up at home, the boss said Well then, stay away from the other workers until the swab results confirm it. Last night, DH told me he'd work from home but go to the jobsite (15 min from our house) to walk the job but not go into the trailer. Boss most have sent him more pressure emails because I came downstairs this morning to find DH packing his stuff up to move back to the trailer. Ugh!!!! He said he feels like he doesn't have any choice. And we also suspect that it's possible his boss pulled strings to get the test to show up negative since it was done by someone he knows. I can't believe the liability boss is taking on by putting DH back in the trailer around all the guys. I know DH is cautious and has been as stringent as possible with mask wearing and distancing, but all that didn't stop the exposure last week. DH isn't high risk but I have lung issues. I'm just so mad about this.

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[petesgirl]

Ooh, I'm mad with you! People like his boss are exactly the reason why this thing can spread like wildfire-- they don't take it seriously and require people to work through it. So aggravating.

[PZMommy]

I’m so sorry! I hope your DH is negative. I’m not sure why they ran an antibody test. That would only work if he had Covid several weeks ago. This is why this thing is spreading in because too many people don’t take this seriously and go out and spread it around without even knowing it.

My principal pulled a similar stunt last month when a bunch of us got exposed. Thankfully the district has a strict policy that the school must remained closed for 14 days, so there was no way she could have any of us on site, as the district can check the alarm codes to see if a building has been entered. I know I was one of the few that remained home for 14 days, while many others went out and about their daily lives and didn’t even bother getting tested like we were supposed to.

[StantonHyde]

Get your own test through your own healthcare provider.

[mom2binsd]

OP, I'm not sure where you are, but I but in our area (central Illinois, no big cities) there are 5 drop in places to get tested, no symptoms needed. I would find a place to get his own test done. If you are in a city there must be a place to get tested.

Sorry his boss isn't getting this.

I agree, doing the anti body test immediately after exposure didn't make sense.


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[pharmjenn]

I’m so sorry! I hope your DH is negative. I’m not sure why they ran an antibody test. That would only work if he had Covid several weeks ago. This is why this thing is spreading in because too many people don’t take this seriously and go out and spread it around without even knowing it.

I can see them running the antibody test and hoping to get a positive. Then, since he has the antibodies, he could come back to work and not be worried about getting sick "again" and passing it further.
I don't agree with that thinking, but since it seems the boss is pressuring OP DH, he may have hoped for that.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Our CVS offers drive thru testing at their drive thru pharmacy locations. It’s a self swab situation (I couldn’t envision the pharmacist reaching out their window and into your car so was glad to see pics of the set up). See if that’s an option. Good luck!!!


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[mikala]

Get your own test through your own healthcare provider.

What a cruddy situation. His boss is all kinds of wrong here and I understand why you're furious.

[PunkyBoo]

OP here. DH kept his appointment he made though our free county testing, which was yesterday morning. It was a drive thru but the technician swabbed thru the car window. He says it REALLY hurt since that was the second time in 2 days. Neither of us really trusts his boss at this point. I'm extremely hopeful that both tests are negative- I don't know what he will do if only one test comes back negative. As awful as 2 positives would be, at least we know for certain. The stress is really hard on him this week.

ETA: we're in southern CA. There was news coverage on TV last night that there has been such a huge surge in the past week that it's almost impossible to get a testing appt. The footage of trumps rally when he talked about slowing the testing down is just adding to my fury.

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[California]

PunkyBoo, I’m just seeing this and really feel for you. My relatives own a remodeling company and it’s been business as usual. They’ve been working through the whole shut down as essential workers. There seems to be an industry-wide attitude of ignoring the virus. The lack of distancing and any other safety precautions is frustrating and scary.