Swabbed my mouth, awaiting results, keeping fingers crossed

I rode my bicycle from Lewes to Epworth United Methodist Church last Thursday, July 2, on the Junction & Breakwater Trail. Mixing business with pleasure.

Delaware’s Health and Social Services folks, with Delaware National Guard people, were testing for COVID-19. I wanted to know where I stood in terms of infection, at least for last week.

There were 100 cars in line, looped around the church, when I arrived at 9:15 a.m. When testing started at 10, the number had doubled, still climbing.

A guardsman pulling duty said more than 900 people had registered for the drive-through event. It was also for drop-ins, meaning you didn’t have to be registered. That was me.

I rolled my Raleigh behind a van at the end of the line, straddled the crossbar, and started a long wait on hot asphalt. But good fortune smiled on me. A health worker told me I could just walk through and signaled toward a desk where people were registering drop-ins. Oh happy day.

I gave my information. A nice lady punched it into her computer.

“Do you have any symptoms?” she asked.

“Nope.”

Then she handed me a plastic bag with literature and a test kit complete with a barcode that was now me. She said one of the guardsmen would show me what to do. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Everyone was friendly.

“Start off by coughing into your mask three times,” said the guardsman.

“Best coughs I’ve heard today,” he said. Pretty sure I was first.

“Next, just take out the swab, and work it around the inside of your mouth. Kind of like brushing your teeth but get inside your cheeks and along your gums and tongue. Then put the swab into the little tube and put the cap on. Put it in the bag and take it over there and give it to the man holding the red plastic barrel. You should get your results in about three days.”  

Other people driving through were already handing off their tests.

“Awesome,” I said. “Thank you.”  

Testing started at 10. I was back in the saddle headed back to Lewes by 10:10.

Answer to the $64 question? I still don’t know. It’s been a week. I’ve called a couple times. They tell me they’re checking. Maybe my email address or phone number was entered wrong. Luck may have grown a little thin. But I’m patient, and no news is good news, unless you’re in the news business.

Delaware Division of Public Health spokesperson Jen Brestel did tell me on Wednesday that “of 4,166 tests completed in Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach last week, 264 were positive, which represents a 6.34% positive testing rate.”  Not too bad. Brestel said for the entire state, the 5-day rolling average as of Saturday, July 4 was 5.3 percent.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed, checking to see if food and drink still taste good – they do – and wearing my mask when it makes sense.

Keep the faith.