Richard Logsdon pulled into an East Toledo parking lot Tuesday, rolled down his car window, showed his driver's license, heard a few words about what to expect, tilted his head back, had a swab go up his nose, felt “some discomfort,” and was done.
“I had high fever a few days ago and now it’s hard to take a breath. … It’s like you have to go up a hill before you can take a full breath. You have to get a few little breaths before you can get a full breath,” he said.
The 43-year-old Toledoan spoke to The Blade just before he got tested Tuesday outside the Neighborhood Health Association's Navarre Park Family Health Center on Varland Avenue near East Broadway Street.
One of two NHA’s outdoor coronavirus testing sites, the Varland location has been open since April 27 to those with symptoms — such as fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath — who call ahead and schedule a drive-through or walk-in appointment, said Dr. Khalida Durrani, the NHA’s chief medical officer. The other site is at the Nexus Healthcare Center at 1415 Jefferson Ave.
The hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Testing is free, with bilingual services available. Appointment is required, but no doctor's referral is needed, Dr. Durrani said.
About 50 people get tested daily at the two sites, about 25 at each, with each site having the capacity of 30 people a day, which can be doubled if necessary, according to the spokesman.
Mr. Logsdon, who lives a few blocks away, was recently in contact with two family members who have tested positive for the coronavirus and also takes care of an 87-year-old grandmother he doesn't want to get sick. Having seen the white tent marked as a virus testing site every day when driving to and from work, he finally decided to get tested for all those reasons, he said.
“I am a little scared but hope everything will be fine,” Mr. Logsdon said just before getting tested and added that he was worried the probe might cause him pain.
About a minute and a half later it was over. It typically takes two to eight days for the results, according to county health officials.
“It was not as bad as I thought it would be. There was a little discomfort but no pain,” Mr. Logsdon said and pulled away.
Wendy Goodrich, an NHA nurse practitioner who administered the test, said that’s exactly how he was supposed to feel. Like her coworkers, she was wearing an N95 mask, a face shield, a fluid-resistant gown over her scrubs, and a pair of gloves. She put on an extra pair for every test and then discarded it.
“It makes your eyes water and it may make you cough. But it’s a good thing. It means I got the swab to the right place,” Ms. Goodrich said, adding that the swab goes about two to three inches up the nasal passage, depending on the person.
Said Ms. Goodrich when asked if she was worried about running a potentially higher risk of exposure: “It's my job. But I am grateful that Dr. Durrani picked me to do this, because … testing is needed so we can better fight this virus.”
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz also got tested at the Varland site Tuesday, in front of television cameras. He said he did not have any symptoms but was there “to get a first-hand look of the operation,” and to help enforce the idea that people who are ill or at risk of being exposed should get a test.
Also on Tuesday, Shannon Lands, spokesman for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, issued a news release warning of recent reports of children under the age of 15 experiencing “a rare and potentially deadly illness, possibly tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Known as pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, the illness appears to affect the heart, but lacks “the typical COVID-19 symptoms of a cough and shortness of breath,” according to the news release. At least 85 cases have been reported in the country, including three deaths, with two more deaths under investigation in New York, according to the release.
“Lucas County does not have any reported cases, but would like to raise awareness of this illness affecting children,” the news release says. Symptoms of the syndrome include a prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting, patchy blue or pale skin discoloration, trouble breathing or rapid breathing; lethargy; and rapid heart rate.
Children can become “very ill extremely quickly,” so children with these symptoms should be evaluated and treated quickly, the news release says.
As of Tuesday, there are 1,825 coronavirus cases in the Lucas County, of which 1,678 are confirmed and 147 are probable, and 163 deaths, with 146 confirmed and 17 probable, according to the health officials. The most recent deaths reported Tuesday include a man in his 60s, two women in their 70s, a woman in her 80s, and a woman in her in 90s.
Testing details can be found at lucascountyhealth.com/coronavirusupdates/.
First Published May 12, 2020, 10:42 p.m.
