First time COVID tester

 You can find all the information on Google, as my daycare provider explained to me I need a COVID test for my daughter to be re-admitted to daycare.

Despite the fact, above is the wrong way to find any information, I had no choice but to turn to the web.  Note, web and not Google.  Most people don't distinguish that Google is not the web.  And while most information is available on-line but  the first source should be valid and verified document which should be available to those who are in the position to recommend tests, e.g. daycares in this scenario.

In any case, I had no choice but to turn to the web, and use search engines to find the answers to my questions:  where the test is performed ?  how is the test performed?  how do they admit patients for testing? 

 From conversation with the daycare provider: throat swabs for COVID-19 testing could be done at drive-thru assessment center by appointment.

What I end up doing, and it seemed to be the only option available to me, was nasal swab, at a physical location, by appointment.

It took me three hours to find the location closest to me, make an appointment online, arrive there, park, go through the process of being admitted, and get the test done.  I believe this is great, and I got extremely LUCKY.   

I started here:

COVID 19 testing locations for my area

I found out eligibility to get tests done at the pharmacy is to have no symptoms.  From there I searched for an 'Assessment Center' closest to me.  

The next step was to find out how they admit people for testing.  It was incredibly frustrating when the page would not load.  I used many different browsers on different devices to get there faster.   Slapping this information on top of a poorly designed website is wrong at many levels.

Finally, I tried a link from the not fully loaded page, that got me to appointment booking page.  This page, unlike its parent, loaded all the information quickly.  I was happy to find out the center can accommodate me in a couple of hours.  So, I booked the time slot.

We arrived at the center five minutes late.  At the entrance, I was asked if I had an appointment and since I did, I was shown in.  There was a line up at the entrance.  Which I don't know if it was for COVID testing or something else.  

The first step after entering was to give the reception my daughter's information and receive a bracelet, just as if we were being admitted to the hospital.  It was quick.

The next step was to be seen and checked for vitals, temperature, and oxygen level, and explain the symptoms.  There were six people ahead of us.  Two out of three stations were staffed.  It took us 20 minutes to be seen by the nurse.

The last step was to get the test.  We were called in almost immediately, or I guess relative to the last step it felt much faster!  A series of white plastics were hung from the ceiling to form a makeshift rooms to get the test done.  There was one chair placed in this room.  I was told to sit on the chair, and hold my baby in my lap.  I was incredibly grateful when the person performing the test appeared so quickly.  I cannot imagine how I could have kept my daughter still in such small possibly infected place.

The swab was, understandably, painful, but was quick, and the instructions I was given was really helpful to get it done fast, despite of discomfort my daughter was in.

When it was over, I waited long enough to finish his sentence about how I can access results, and just ran out of the place, all the way to the car, holding my daughter as close as possible.  

I got extremely lucky!  It could have been much worse and by that I mean it could have taken longer more dragged out, tiring.  It was not.  I thank the staff for it.

The results came the next day before noon, that's less than half a day.  Negative!