I wasn't feeling sick or anything.
But I knew that one of the tricky things about COVID-19 is that there are a lot of people who have the virus, but don't know they have the virus. They're asymptomatic, and yet they're spreading it everywhere they go. I didn't want to be one of those people.
So when the city of Seattle announced that it was offering free COVID-19 tests at two locations -- one on Aurora Avenue in North Seattle, and one south of downtown in the Sodo neighborhood, I went to the website and signed up.
I got a reservation for a couple of days later and showed up at the Sodo location. Both spots are former auto emissions testing sites. The whole process isn't that different from getting your car's smog checked, except instead of sitting in your car while they stick a sensor in your exhaust pipe, you sit in your car while a Seattle firefighter sticks a long swab up your nose. Twice.
The people working there are all great, by the way -- super friendly, professional, efficient, and compassionate. They seem to really appreciate the fact that to a lot of us, the whole thing is a little intimidating and even scary.
Once you get up to the testing spot, under the big roof, the swabbing procedure is quick and painless. Well, almost painless. Actually more weird than painful.
I drove off and hoped that my brain wasn't bruised by that swab.
Twenty-four hours later, I used my phone to scan the QR code they gave me, and look -- no virus!
I was pretty sure I didn't have the virus, but I still felt a big wave of relief. It's good to know for sure.
Here's the website if you're interested.
Good luck! Stay safe! Wash your hands and wear your mask!