A coworker called out with covid-like symptoms. I worked with them two nights ago. When I asked if I could be tested while we're waiting the 5 days for it could take for their test results to come back I was told that there aren't enough tests so I don't meet the criteria. So here I am at work, with a mask on, having potentially already infected six co-workers who I've interacted with in the past two days.
I get my daughter back tomorrow. So let's say I get covid-19 but I can't get tested until my coworker's test comes back which means the earliest I get my result is Wednesday but possibly not till Thursday. So now my daughter has it. Her mom, who is also a health care worker has to make a choice, not see her kid for at least 14 days, maybe longer, so she can work at her hospital, or see her kid and have to quarantine herself for at least 14 days, assuming she avoids catching it.
This is how you lose at least two healthcare workers for at least 2-3 weeks. Each of us has the capacity to care for dozens of patients over that period of time, capacity that the system could lose.
So when you hear politicians saying that widespread testing is available please know that they're lying. Also know that this is the slow motion trainwreck of a fragile healthcare system which could easily collapse.
FYI, I don't blame the hospital, New Mexico only has the capacity to test 600 people per day, so they have to follow algorithms to make sure they're testing the right people. There's an argument that the algorithm we're using is wrong, but that's how public health works, through making the best decisions you can with the information available at the time.
