Before getting tested for COVID-19, Taylor Venable had all the classic symptoms. A high fever, a bad cough, along with nausea and diarrhea. Her mother, an essential worker, had already tested positive for the virus before Venable, 22, became symptomatic. Because she has asthma, her doctor thought it best she be tested. After going through the testing process at Eli Lilly Co. on April 22, Venable got her results a day later: she had COVID-19.
Venable is one of the 17,835 Hoosiers to date who have tested positive for the virus. In order to track more cases and make more people aware of their status, Indiana announced on April 28 that the state will expand testing for anyone who is symptomatic.
In a press conference with Gov. Eric Holcomb, Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer for the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) said the state plans to have 50 testing sites available by the end of May.
Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department, said testing sites will be added to areas deemed “hot spots,” where COVID-19 rates are higher. Marion County makes up 31% of the state’s COVID-19 cases, with 5,530 positive cases to date within the county, according to the ISDH. African Americans in the county are three times more likely than whites to have a confirmed case of COVID-19, and twice as likely as whites to die from the virus.
A testing site at Eastern Star Church opened April 30. Caine said 500 people called ahead to register for testing. Testing is free and no insurance is required.
In a press conference on April 30, Caine said this increase in testing sites will allow for between 1,000 to 1,500 more COVID-19 tests to be performed in Marion County every week.
So, what should Hoosiers going to get tested expect?
“I thought it was interesting at the Eli Lilly [testing] center, you can’t open your window at all,” Venable said. “There are people on the sidewalk that have signs around their neck that say ‘Call this number,’ and you call that number to say whether you’re there for a test or if you’re doing a study.”
The workers then put a green flag on your windshield if you’re getting tested, or a pink flag if you’re there for a study.
“It was weird,” Venable said. “I remember people with pink flags looking at me weird.”
After determining what each person is there for, individuals are directed to the parking garage — six cars at a time — and their names are taken down. Then, a nurse performs the test, a nasal swab that only takes seconds.
“It was pretty painful,” Venable said. “The only thing I could compare it to is when you’re in a pool and go underwater and accidentally inhale. It burns a lot.”
The test is done by inserting a 6-inch swab, similar to a Q-tip, into the cavity between your nose and mouth via your nostril for 15 seconds, rotating it several times. This is done in both nostrils to get an accurate result.
“Just get ready for pressure and burning,” Venable suggested.
While Venable got her results back the day after testing, it can take up to a week to get your results.
If you do test positive, those with mild cases really just have to wait it out.
“My doctor told me to just quarantine and stay in my room as much as possible,” Venable said. “She said Tylenol and ibuprofen are fine, but to try and stick to Tylenol. Other than that, there’s really nothing that can be done.”
While she still has a stuffy nose, Venable said her other symptoms — including a loss of taste which occurred after testing positive — went away a little over a week into her quarantine.
Despite being virtually asymptomatic, Venable is still concerned that she could be a carrier.
However, experts don’t think people who previously tested positive for COVID-19 need to be retested.
“Retesting is not recommended on a regular basis,” Weaver said in an April 28 press conference. “We know that if someone tests positive, when we test them two or even three weeks later, they can still test positive, but we don’t know if that means they can still spread it. … It isn’t recommended that people get retested to prove negativity.”
According to Weaver, there are tests underway to learn more about how long the virus can last, and for how long it is transmittable.
But some, like Venable, don’t think it’s safe to even consider going out in public with all of the unknowns surrounding COVID-19.
“The whole not getting retested thing, I just don’t know about that,” Venable said. “ … We need to know when the virus is actually out of your system, because you can be asymptomatic and still pass it. I don’t know if I feel safe going out, even two weeks after I tested positive. I don’t really trust what they’re saying, just because it’s such a new virus.”
To continue to curb the spread of the virus, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced April 30 an extension of the stay-at-home order for Marion County until at least May 15, despite any changes Gov. Holcomb may announce in the near future.
In a press conference, Hogsett said Hoosier efforts to flatten the curve are working, but added, “we are not in the clear yet.” Hogsett cited medical and business experts to argue reopening the economy could do more harm than good to local businesses and could reverse the progress the city has made in combating the virus.
Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper.
A woman wears a face mask in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19. (Photo/Curtis Guynn)
