I work for a company that works for about 20-30 schools in the area, and since every staff member at the schools are doing regular covid tests, so are we and these covid self tests are invasive.
You take a LONG stick with a sponge type thing on the end and swab your tonsils, 4 times each, for those with a powerful gag reflex like me (I cant even handle a tongue depressor) this is torture, swab, retch, swab, retch, swab, retch for 8 times, each time trying to get a strong enough contact with the back of your throat to get a clean sample. After this you stick the same stick up a nostril until it WONT GO ANY FURTHER (thats in the instructions), RIGHT up into the sinuses and swirl it 15 times, which is EXTREMELY uncomfortable.
After you have obtained your sample, its relatively simple, but it leaves you retching, sneezing and with a horrible runny nose every time. I have been doing this for months now, and though my gag reflex has mercifully weakened, it is still FAR from pleasant.
I get that we need to be careful with covid, I get that our clients need assurance, and I appreciate the free tests to make sure Im not spreading anything to my family, but it is just so damned unpleasant that it makes the days I take the test ones I dread.
You take a LONG stick with a sponge type thing on the end and swab your tonsils, 4 times each, for those with a powerful gag reflex like me (I cant even handle a tongue depressor) this is torture, swab, retch, swab, retch, swab, retch for 8 times, each time trying to get a strong enough contact with the back of your throat to get a clean sample. After this you stick the same stick up a nostril until it WONT GO ANY FURTHER (thats in the instructions), RIGHT up into the sinuses and swirl it 15 times, which is EXTREMELY uncomfortable.
After you have obtained your sample, its relatively simple, but it leaves you retching, sneezing and with a horrible runny nose every time. I have been doing this for months now, and though my gag reflex has mercifully weakened, it is still FAR from pleasant.
I get that we need to be careful with covid, I get that our clients need assurance, and I appreciate the free tests to make sure Im not spreading anything to my family, but it is just so damned unpleasant that it makes the days I take the test ones I dread.