Yeah I knew you are a pediatrician and was just curious. I guess I should have just asked what you do for your otherwise healthy teens.

Thanks.

YouBet said:

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Proposition Joe said:

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YouBet said:

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Proposition Joe said:

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YouBet said:

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Proposition Joe said:

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YouBet said:

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Testing is pointless unless you are an at-risk demographic. I don't understand the incessant infatuation with it. Getting tested has somehow become the therapeutic for COVID. It's the default knee jerk action item at the first sign of the sniffles.

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unless you are an at-risk demographic, will be around an at-risk demographic, or are required by your place of work.

Don't get me wrong, there's tons of people who have re-shaped their lives around this thing and will sit in 6 hour drive-thru lines just to know if they are positive so they could do the same thing they would be doing otherwise.

But a lot of the testing is prudent, and it's another knock on how this whole thing has been handled that it's damn near impossible to easily find at-home tests.

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1. "unless you are an at-risk demographic". Agreed, I meant to put this in my post.

2. "will be around an at-risk demographic". Shouldn't matter if you are vaxxed. It's also a convenient, self-fulfilling prophecy for those obsessed with testing. We are all around at-risk demographics every day. Half the population is obese who are an at-risk demographic.

3. "required by your place of work". A ridiculous intrusion that oversteps boundaries, but I acknowledge it as an unfortunate reality in our currently dystopian trending country.

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You may not think it's prudent to test yourself before being around immuno-compromised, elderly or otherwise at-risk people but I'd say most disagree.

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If this is the new standard, then we can't function as a society. Most of the population falls into an at-risk category. So, I guess we will be in a permanent state of dysfunction at the whims of the next variant.

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I think the assumption is you test yourself before knowingly being in close contact with people like that for an extended period of time (eg. you are going to visit someone in the hospital or visiting your elderly parents of the like).

Few are pushing for you to always test yourself before "going out in public where [at-risk people may be]". If you believe that is what is being pushed by many, then you're simply falling victim to your own journalistic echo chamber.

Feeling fine? Go about your day.
Feeling fine and going to be in extended close contact with significantly at-risk? Maybe think about getting tested.
Not feeling fine? Avoid close contact with people but otherwise go about your business.
Not feeling fine and going to be in extended close contact with significantly at-risk? Get tested (and realize it's not only COVID that is putting others at risk).

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This defies reality though. The MSM, the government, and the healthcare establishment are incessantly pushing testing. It is the defacto action item to do for COVID as I already stated. It's not really what I believe; it's a fact.

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which is why we need to go back to trusting our instincts, not "authorities". Sure, common sense dictates that one stay away from the most compromised when we feel ill. The thing is, it is being spun by the media, b/c headlines make money, that covid is different. It isn't. It follows the same patterns almost every other virus follows, like when you can spread it etc. People can be asymptomatic with almost every virus. They can be a carrier without knowing that they are carrying it. Further, a carrier may not even test positive for the virus I was always taught for years.

At this point, especially since we have a vaccine that truly limits severity of illness (so far) and omicron is very much a less serious variant of the virus, do what right for you. If you want to follow the CDC to a tee, go for it. If you want to get back to life the moment you feel better, avoid too much direct contact but move on as if everything was normal. As I stated on another forum, in my experience the last 2 weeks, a lot of people have gotten covid that I know. I mean a lot. Almost all went back out after the 2-4 days they were sick. Most if not all never reported it as they were already off work. Most never masked. This is good. People are finally starting to treat covid like every other virus. Long term, that will be the best way to handle this and not keep limiting society over this. Short term, there will be spikes. A small few will be hospitalized. Unfortunately some may well die. But not enough to warrant overall policy change.