My Covid Test

As a small boy growing up in Newcastle my father occasionally took me to watch Gateshead when, I think, they rejoiced in the old Third Division North.  An old joke at the time had Geordie ask “what time was kick-off at Gateshead,” to be told in reply, “what time can you get there?”

It was rather like that with my Covid test yesterday morning.  Along with eight and a half million others I have been religiously reporting my health every day through the Covid 19 Symptom Tracker run by Kings College. On Monday evening I was, apparently, rewarded for my diligence and offered a Covid test. An email link directed me to a booking screen giving the nearest test centres and time slots available. I chose Poppleton Park & Ride on the outskirts of York and was amazed to find that I could turn up first thing the following morning. A surreal drive round the traffic-free York bypass got me to the test centre early. It looked as though I was the only customer and was ushered promptly to a testing bay. A pleasant young lady quickly administered the swab test, handed me a confirmation card and advised me that the test result would be available in a couple of days.  All done, I left the test centre less than 5 minutes after arriving. This evening, Wednesday at 1915, I received the result – just over 48 hours flash to bang. Very well done to all concerned.

At the time of the test, I did not have the virus. Like a football pools winner, I won’t be letting the result change my way of life.