As the world starts to open up, more and more places are requiring negative Covid tests from all travelers. The USA also requires all citizens returning from an international destination by air to have a negative Covid-19 test within three days of their flight.
I recently had to take three different Covid tests in a two week period (coming home from Mexico, entering the Dominican Republic (random passengers get tested on arrival. I was lucky enough to be chosen) and returning from the D.R.
I absolutely despise anything in my nose. I have some damaged cartilage from boxing and sparring and the Q-tip up the nose Covid test is agony for me.
You’ll definitely want to be an informed consumer in this arena. I found the following article to be exceptionally useful at explaining all the testing issues.
https://internationalman.com/articles/covid-tests-gone-wild-an-epidemic-of-covid-positive-tests/
The bottom line according to the article is:
Summary:
- We have an epidemic of COVID-positive tests that is substantially larger than the epidemic of identified Relevant Infectious COVID Disease. In contrast, people with actual, mild cases of COVID-disease aren’t all getting tested. So the data, on which lockdowns are supposedly justified, are lousy.
- The data on COVID hospitalizations and deaths in the US are exaggerated by a government subsidization scheme that incentivizes the improper use of tests in people without particular risk of the disease.
- Avoid getting tested for COVID unless you are symptomatic yourself, have had exposure to someone who was both symptomatic and tested positive for COVID, or have some other personal reason that makes sense.
- Know that getting tested before traveling abroad puts you at a modest risk of getting a false-positive test result, which will assuredly screw up your trip. It’s a new political risk of travel.
- There is a lot more to this viral testing game, and there are a lot of weird incentives. There are gray areas and room for debate.
- Yes, the COVID disease can kill people. But a positive test won’t kill anybody. Sadly, every COVID-positive test empowers those politicians and bureaucrats who have a natural bent to control people—the sociopaths and their ilk.
