Students seek COVID-19 tests for unorthodox reasons

PHOTO: The Davis Senior Center has been hosting a free COVID-19 testing facility.

By Lewis Herring-Tillman,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

For students who do not meet Center for Disease Control (CDC) testing guidelines or do not have health insurance, finding a COVID-19 test can be challenging.

In mid-July, junior Elise Wyman and her family all sought out a COVID-19 test in order to see an immuno-compromised family member in Oregon. None of them had any symptoms of the virus.

“I don’t think people should be tested willy-nilly […] at first I was hesitant because I was worried I would be taking a test away from someone who needed it more than me,” Wyman said.

Luckily, the testing center she went to, a walk-in clinic at the Davis Senior Center, had enough tests for those seeking one.

Other students are unsure to get a test not because they don’t meet requirements, but instead because of the humiliation of breaking social distancing guidelines and becoming infected. 

A senior, who requested to remain anonymous, developed symptoms of COVID-19 after going on a beach trip with someone who themselves had been in contact with large groups of people. The friend tested positive, and she and all of her friends were tested as well.

“Fortunately, everybody was negative, but it was super scary waiting for everyone’s results to get back,” she said.

Free walk-in testing will be available at the Davis Senior Center until Oct. 3, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Other appointment-optional, free testing sites rotate throughout towns in Yolo County. For more information, visit https://covidtesting.yolocounty.org/.