Okay, adventure is an exaggeration.
Rite-Aid/CVS is offering free COVID-19 testing through Baseline, so Hubby and I decided to get tested.
Step one was to go to the website and see if a Rite-Aid near us was testing. The Rite-Aid a block from Hubby’s office had appointments open, so we signed up.
It’s super easy to make an account and get an appointment. I live in a small town, and we got scheduled the day after we signed up. It might take longer if you live in a bigger town.
Baseline sent me an email with a referral number and a video explaining what would happen during the test. It was very clear and not accurate for our situation. Again, a larger town might have everything described in the video.
Hubby’s appointment was at 11 a.m., and mine was at 11:15. The video clearly said that only one person should be in the car at one time, so I went inside Rite-Aid and did some shopping while Hubby pulled up to the line at the Drive-Up Pharmacy window.
Unlike the video, there wasn’t a check-in area separate from the testing area. In fact, there was no check-in area. Instead of giving a specific time, Baseline should have just said come between 11 and 12.
Hubby eventually got to the window and took the test. His advice is to pay attention to which end you stick in your nose.
The video clearly states that no one else should be in the car, but the pharmacist said they test everyone in the car so I could have gotten tested at the same time. However, we were following the rules, so after Hubby was tested, I took the car and got back in line. He walked to his office in the rain.
I had an 11:15 appointment, and I reached the window at noon. There were about six cars in line before me when I got in line at around 11:20. Because we were in the Rite-Aid parking lot, it wasn’t easy to have a long line of vehicles. No one wanted to block any parked cars or the entrance to the lot.
According to the video, I had to show my ID and the email I received with my referral number. When I finally got to the window, a pharmacy employee asked what I needed. That’s when I realized that they were handing out people’s prescriptions and doing COVID tests. I felt bad for people waiting in that long line who only needed to pick up their pills.
The woman asked my name and birthday and had me read my referral number. I never had to show my ID. The head pharmacist then asked me if I had watched the video, which I had. The test was self-administered, and there were instructions on the window, which I appreciated.
I took the sealed swab and the collection vial from the basket they put in the slot below the window. I knew from the video that there was liquid in the vial, so I was careful not to spill it.
Per the instructions, I stuck the swab (the correct end) up my first nostril and did as required. I knew I didn’t need to go in super deep, but I also didn’t want to go too shallow. Whatever I did hurt, probably because skinny sticks are not supposed to be stuck up our noses.
I used the same swab and did the other nostril. I then put the swab in the vial, broke off the top of the plastic stick (per the instructions,) and screwed the lid on tight. I put everything back in the tray, and the pharmacist took it.
With that, I was done. I didn’t time how long it took, but most of the wait was from sitting in line, and I just read a book, so it wasn’t a hardship.
I recommend getting tested if you can. Knowledge is important, and ignorance is unnecessary, especially when it is free.