Negative - for now!

Late last night my better half received a message to say that she had been exposed to Covid in a supermarket -  eight days ago! As it happened we had managed to find and buy two rapid antigen tests the day before. We had never used one before so we decided to check whether she was positive. She had no symptoms but it's a bit confronting for those of us, who have basically led an isolated life for two years, to be told we had been exposed to the virus.

The result was negative and we were just enjoying feeling relieved when I received a notification that I had been exposed the day before in the local Post Office where I had been, literally, for five minutes. I had no symptoms but I did the test and came up negative. I shouldn't have done the test because I later read that the best time to test after exposure is between 3 to 5 days when, if infected, the antibodies the body produces are more easily detected.

The Australian government is now desperate to convince people not to have a PCR test, even if they produce a positive rapid antigen test result. This is, of course, because the whole system is now in utter chaos  - the result of chaotic mismanagement, and lack of strategic planning, on the part of our governments, Federal and State.

Today our challenge was to try and find two more rapid antigen tests. It took two trips into town and a considerable amount of luck to be able to source another two. We feel it's important to have these at our fingertips now because access to PCR tests, unless showing symptoms, is not available. This doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me because I have some mild underlying lung disease as a result of having had measles over six decades ago. My specialist told me, even before we had even heard of Covid, that if I ever get a chest infection I will end up in hospital! Anyway, so far so good, if I remain symptom-free I won't use up one of our two rapid antigen tests but I will be relieved to get past the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime our Federal government is enjoying the distraction of Novak Djokovic. In my view he should be treated courteously and popped back on a plane and sent home again. Both he and Tennis Australia have known the rules for entry into Australia for many months and they tried to game the situation. Now the whole silly fiasco is just devouring a lot of the media space and letting our governments off the hook for their incompetent management of the pandemic.

Rant over!!