*Disclaimer: VCMC is not a health profession. If you have questions about your health, COVID symptoms, testing or other concerns, you should consult your physician. This article represents one mother’s experience and may be different from other readers’ experiences.
Life feels a lot more normal these days. For the most part, my family no longer wears masks. I occasionally wear one, just to be courteous of others, because I’ve had a lingering cough (not COVID-related). I didn’t even have to wear a mask recently when I visited my eye doctor. I’ve been hanging out more socially with friends – my friends who were really cautious about COVID before are now more relaxed.
When I am going to a large gathering indoors, I no longer feel the urgent need to take a COVID-19 test. We now only test if there are concerning symptoms – a fever or consistent coughing. I was grateful that there was a federal program that mailed me free, at-home tests if I had requested them.
But I recently ran out of them and was so confused as to what to do next.
My husband was out of town this past weekend, so I solo-parented Friday through mid-Sunday. My son’s last baseball game of the season was on Saturday, and I was responsible for getting him ready and taking him there myself. My husband was usually the one who put on his baseball belt – my son is so skinny that, otherwise, his baseball pants would not fit him properly. I was able to slide the belt through all the loopholes, but I couldn’t figure out how to adjust it. This caused my son to throw a fit. Maybe he was embarrassed to show up at his game with an untied belt dangling at his waist. In any case, it triggered something.
“I hate playing baseball!” he exclaimed.
I drove him to the fields. His coach helped adjust his belt. And yet, my son continued to stay in a sour mood. “I’m tired!” he repeatedly said. He refused to practice with his team before the game. I let him take a break and sit on the bleachers with me.
As the game started, he still wouldn’t budge. The other moms and dads encouraged him, saying that his team needed him. It was almost his turn to bat. I sat with him in the dug-out, him clinging on to me and repeatedly saying he’s tired.
“I think you should take him home and get him tested for COVID,” his coach told me. Apparently fatigue is a really common symptom in the current strain. So I took him home and used our last at-home covid test kit. The instruction manual was, oddly enough, only in Spanish, so I did my best trying to remember what I did in the past. We waited 15 minutes for the results. Nothing showed up. “I don’t think I did this right,” I thought.
My son seemed completely fine when we got home, but I still felt the need to test.
- His baseball coach encouraged me to take a test.
- Earlier that Thursday, I received notification from my son’s school of a general classroom exposure. Also, the previous week, my son’s teacher messaged all the parents letting us know that she got COVID, but she’s fine, that she’s had it before. She was out for almost a week.
- We were planning to have friends over later that afternoon. They were previously really cautious about COVID, and I knew they didn’t want to get sick because they were looking forward to an upcoming trip to Hawaii.
So I dragged my son to Urgent Care. I had heard that the government was going to stop providing testing, but my insurance should surely cover it. He and I both tested negative.
For future concerns, I wanted to be prepared with at-home covid tests. But now where do I get them?
My friend told me I can get them at drug stores, so the following morning, since I had some spare time before church, I headed to Rite-Aid, picked up a couple testing kits, and asked the cashier if my insurance covers them. She tells me they used to cover them, but that stopped as of May 15. So I pay the $10/kit using my HSA card.
Another friend, who’s a teacher, mentioned, “You should be able to stop by [your son’s] school and pick up free tests anytime.” Really? How am I not aware of this? I know that if my son was exposed in his classroom, I can sign him up to get tested on the 5th day. But I didn’t know I could just stop by the front desk at his school and ask them for some.
A different friend told me to go to a pharmacy and ask for them. Insurance should still cover them through November, she said.
My head was running in circles. Am I the only clueless mom here?
I called my son’s school. Sure enough, they do provide free, at-home COVID tests. According to the lady I spoke with, all public schools should have them available. She’ll give out 1-2 test kits at a time, more if there is a family member sick. I wish I would’ve known that so I could’ve avoided paying $20 at Rite Aid.
Out of curiosity, I searched on Google. As of May 11, 2023, COVID-19 is no longer considered a Public Health Emergency. According to the CDC website, it depends on your insurance provider. They are no longer required to waive costs or provide free COVID-19 tests. I am thankful though that I can get a test at my child’s school if I need one.
Guest Writer: Miriam Cave
