Ito ang kwento niyan, mga bakla.
Sa totoo lang and kung pwede lang, I would prefer to have myself tested everyday to see if I have Covid-19. Siguro hindi niyo naman masisisi ang ka-praningan ko because I go to the office everyday. I go to our project sites 3 times a week. Yung mga nasa bahay nga lang na hindi lumalabas, natatakot magka-Covid, paano pa kaya yung katulad ko na labas ng labas di ba? I am anxious to get the virus because Anika has asthma while si Alvin naman is a smoker. Medyo risky for them if they contact the virus.
This week, Anika has playdate plans with her friends. They will be coming over to our house to binge watch all the Harry Potter movies. Being a responsible human being, siyempre, I want to make sure I’m negative for Covid-19 before being with other people.
And so I looked for where I can have myself tested. Sa paghahanap ko, I was able to learn the differences of each type of tests. This is the easiest to understand infographics that I found online from Nature.com:
Ito yung pagkaka-intindi ko. As you can see, there are 3 kinds of tests.
The first one is the RT-PCR test (polymerase chain reaction). Ito yung tinatawag nilang gold standard test. This is the swab test that you do via the nose and the mouth. Usually, it takes 1-3 days before the hospital or the clinic releases the results. This is a very sensitive test. It can detect even a miniscule amount of Sars-Cov-2 virus that can cause Covid-19 in your body. If you check the chart, the RT-PCR test can detect the virus even one day after you have been exposed to someone who is positive with Covid-19. Ganyan siya ka-sensitive. However, the test result will remain positive as long as you have the virus in you, even though you are no longer contagious. Kasi nga di ba, super sensitive ng test, miniscule amount lang, nadedetect niya. This is the reason why nagtataka ako that there are some people I know who 5 weeks after they tested positive with Covid, positive pa din sila. This type of test is the most expensive among the 3. Sa Asian Hospital dati when I had myself tested kasi naging close contact ako, it was Php 8-9,000. Kaloka. But now, I think they’re more affordable at 4-5k, right?
The second one is the rapid diagnostic test (RDT). It is also called the antigen test because it detects the presence of viral proteins (antigens) expressed by the COVID-19 virus in a sample from the respiratory tract of a person. The antigens that are detected are expressed only when the virus is actively replicating (source: WHO) therefore, okay ito when identifying acute or early infection. Nasal swab test din ito and the results can be known in 15-30 minutes. This test can identify people with high levels of virus and who are most likely to be infectious to others. However, ang concern is, hindi pa naman na-i-identify what is the limit of the amount of virus in one’s body for you to be tagged as infectious. There are evidences lang na hindi na nakakahawa ang taong may Covid-19, 8-10 days after the onset of the symptoms. This means, if you have symptoms or were exposed to someone who has Covid-19, best pa din to have the RT-PCR test. This type of test is a lot cheaper than the RT-PCT. Alam ko, it ranges from Php 1,800 to 2,600 in some laboratories.
The third one is the Rapid Antibody Test (RAT). This is the one where they get a blood sample and put it in a kit to detect if you have antibodies in your body. Our bodies kasi produce antibodies to fight of viruses. This is the cheapest Covid-19 test however this is not an effective test at the early part of the infection. Antibodies kasi only appear 4 days to more than a week after infection. So if you were exposed sa virus and had this test early, magne-negative ka talaga pagwala ka pang antibodies. Meaning, infectious ka na by that time pero negative naman ang rapid antibody test mo.
In conclusion, if you were exposed on someone with Covid-19 or if you have symptoms, the best and the most accurate test is the RT-PCR. Don’t risk doing the other 2 tests anymore because they might give you false negatives. Dun ka na sa sure.
For people naman who do not have symptoms, like me, pero praning lang (lelz), the rapid antigen test is okay na.
Last Saturday, I had the rapid antigen testing. I did a “drive thru” testing with Be Safe MD. I booked with them beforehand. I am not sure if they have the cheapest rates out there pero I was very satisfied naman with their service. They were very polite and they called me within 30 minutes after the testing. If you want to watch the on the day video of it, it’s in my IG TV @mommyfleur.
What does it feels like? Since I already had the RT-PCR before, I was kinda expecting already the “drowning” feeling. Do you know that feeling when you’re swimming and then you get water in your nose? Ganun yung swab testing. Medyo masakit ng slight and masakit pa din siya after 1-2 hours. But it was fast. Wala pang 5 seconds.
Here are some of Be Safe MD’s posters for your information.
Natawa ako because when the representative from Be Safe MD called me for my results, he sounded so sad. Nanlamig ako. Akala ko positive.
BE SAFE MD REP: Ma’am, is this Maria Fleurdeliz Sombrero.
ME: Yes.
BE SAFE MD REP: I’m calling for your results.
ME: Yes?
BE SAFE MD REP: Negative naman po siya.
ME: OMG. Akala ko positive! Ang lungkot ng boses mo eh!
BE SAFE MD REP: Ay sorry po ma’am.
ME: Siguro next time when you call negative people sabihin niyo muna, “Congratulations! Negative ka!”
Ganern.
I though I would have a mini heart attack that time. Grabe.
I was thinking kung monthly ako magpapatest, monthly din ang mini heart attacks. Hahahaha!
Hay naku. Basta, let’s always keep safe, okay?
Ingat guys!
Resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antigen-tests-guidelines.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02661-2
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/advice-on-the-use-of-point-of-care-immunodiagnostic-tests-for-covid-19#:~:text=One%20type%20of%20rapid%20diagnostic,acute%20or%20early%20infection.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antibody-tests.html
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/things-to-know-polymerase-chain-reaction-rapid-anti-body-tests